04/29/2024 - Special Called Meeting

001Karen Perez: HI, I AM KAREN PEREZ, CLEAR OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD. I WANT TO WELCOME YOU TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THAT INCLUDES CHILDREN IN PRESCHOOL AND ADULTS THROUGH OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAM. Jessica Vaughn: HI, I AM JESSICA VAUGHN, THE SCHOOL BOARD'S VICE-CHAIR. OUR DISTRICT IS THE SEVENTH LARGEST IN AMERICA AND OUR TEAM IS MADE UP OF 24,000 PEOPLE WORKING AT CLOSE TO 50 SITES ACROSS THE COUNTY FREEWAY GRAY OUR DISTRICT IS DIVERSE AND DEDICATED. OUR BOARD MEETINGS ARE HELD IN OUR BOARD AUDITORIUM AT SELECT TUESDAYS AT 4 P.M. THE BEST WAY TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY IS TO INVOLVE YOU, THE PUBLIC, IN WHAT WE DO. Henry "Shake" Washington: YOU ARE WELCOME TO MEET OR E-MAIL ANY OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND FOLLOW OUR DISTRICT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS ARE

002COVERED LIVE BY HILLSBOROUGH SCHOOLS TV ON SPECTRUM 635 AND FRONTIER CHANNEL 32. Stacy Hahn: MEETINGS ARE ALSO STREAMED LIVE ON OUR WEB SITE AT HILLSBOROUGHSCHOOLS.ORG. CLOSED CAPTIONING IS PROVIDED ON ALL BROADCASTS AND PAST MEETINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR ONLINE ARCHIVE. Patti Rendon: WE ARE INTERESTED IN HEARING WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY. WE WILL INCLUDE TIME FOR AUDIENCE COMMENTS AND OUR MATERIALS ARE POSTED ONLINE IN ADVANCE POSTED SEVEN DAYS FOR EACH MEETING ON OUR WEB SITE AT HILLSBOROUGHSCHOOLS.ORG. OUR GOAL IS TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR LIFE, TODOS LOS ESTUDIANTES TODOS LOS DIAS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN EDUCATION. WITH YOUR HELP, WE ARE SHAPING OUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE. Karen Perez: THE SPECIAL CALLED BOARD MEETING OF APRIL 29, 2024 IS CALLED TO ORDER. MEMBER VAUGHN WILL LEAD US IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND FOLLOWED BY

003THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AS OPPOSED TO THE MOMENT OF SILENCE, I WILL TAKE A MOMENT TO HONOR SOMEONE. BEFORE WE GET STARTED WITH THE MEETING TO ASK EVERYONE TO PAUSE AND IF THEY CAN OFFER THEIR MOMENT OF SILENCE TO THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DORIS ROSS REDDICK. MRS. DORIS ROSS REDDICK PASSED AWAY SUNDAY, APRIL 1. SHE DEDICATED HER ENTIRE LIFE TO HELPING OTHERS ESPECIALLY IN THE AREA OF EDUCATION. SHE NURTURED STUDENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY AS A TEACHER, A SUPERVISOR, AN ESE SPECIALIST, SPECIALIST OF CURRICULUM FROM 1948 UNTIL HER RETIREMENT IN 1980. SHE WAS ELECTED TO THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SFWROORD . SHE WAS THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN ELECTED TO THE BOARD AND THE FIRST BLACK CHAIR OF THE BOARD IN BOTH 1995 AND 2001. WE ARE HONORED TO HAVE DORIS

004ROD REDDICK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WHICH OPENED IN 2008, AS A TRIBUTE TO HER LIFETIME PASSION OF EDUCATION AND STUDENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY. PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT OF SILENCE TO HONOR MISS REDDICK. THANK YOU. NOW PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] Karen Perez: THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN. AND THANK YOU FOR THAT -- THAT LEGACY FOR DORIS ROSS REDDICK. I NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO ADOPT THE AGENDA. I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER COMBS. AND SECOND BY MEMBER VAUGHN. ANY DISCUSSION? PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHT APPEARS. AND IT PASSES WITH MEMBER HAH NSN APPROACHING THE DIVE AREAS. LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS ARE PRESENT. BOARD MEMBERS, I WOULD LIKE TO GO OVER THE FORMAT OF TODAY'S MEETING. AS A REMINDER, WE ARE A NONPARTISAN BOARD WHO BELIEVES ALL CHILDREN

005CAN BE EMPOWERED TO LEARN, TO SUCCEED, AND OUR DECISIONS WILL BE MADE WITH THAT UNDERSTANDING. TO PAVE THE WAY FOR EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE AGENDA STATEMENTS AND/OR QUESTIONS, BOARD MEMBERS WILL HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO SPEAK WITH 30 SECONDS FOR FINAL THOUGHTS. AFTERWARDS, THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN RESPOND. IF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, YOU ARE ASKED TO GET BACK IN THE QUEUE. MEMBER VAUGHN WILL NOW READ THE BOARD GUIDELINES. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU. AS WE BEGIN THIS AFTERNOON'S MEETING, LET ME QUICKLY REVIEW THE FORMAT OF OUR SPECIALLY CALLED BOARD MEETING TO CONSIDER TWO APPEALS OF BOOKS CHALLENGED VIA THE DISTRICT'S OBJECTION OF THE USE OF SPECIFIC MATERIAL PROCESS. PLEASE SILENCE ALL ELECTRONIC DEVICES. THERE ARE SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM BEHIND ME THAT ALLOW BOARD MEMBERS TO HEAR THE MEETING UPON STEPPING AWAY FROM THE DAIS. THIS MEETING CAN BE

006VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING ON THE LIVE WEBCAST ON CABLE TV AND VIDEO MONITORS HERE IN THE AUDITORIUM. VIEWED WITH CLOSED CAPTIONING IN THE ONLINE VIDEO ARCHIVE. Karen Perez: THE BOARD WELCOMES COMMENTS FROM CITIZENS AND VALUES YOUR INPUT TO THE BOARD. OUR BOARD RESPECTS THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD AND WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO BE HERE; HOWEVER, IT IS REQUESTED THAT WHEN YOU ADDRESS THE BOARD, COMMENTS NOT -- ARE NOT DIRECTLY PERSONALLY TO A BOARD MEMBER AND STAFF AND RATHER DIRECTED TO THE ISSUES. PUBLIC COMMENT WILL BE WITH THE CERTAIN BOOKS ON THE AGENDA "BLANKETS" AND "IDENTICAL. "GOINGS COMMENTS ARE NOT BASED ON THESE BOOKS, WE ARE ASKED FOR YOU TO CONTINUE YOUR DISCUSSION ON THE BOOKS. THE BOARD HAS SET ASIDE AN HOUR FOR PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THE TWO ITEMS

007ON THE BOARD'S AGENDA TODAY. THE BOARD MAY EXTEND THAT FOR ANOTHER HALF HOUR. ANY BEHAVIOR INTENDED TO DISRUPT THE ORDERLY CONDUCT OF THIS MEETING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED. OUR CIVILITY POLICY IS IN PLACE. WHEN ADDRESSING THE BOARD, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME, ALONG WITH YOUR COUNTY OF RESIDENCE. SPEAK CLEARLY INTO THE MICROPHONE. THIS AFTERNOON, EACH SPEAK WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. REMINDER THAT YOUR THREE MINUTES START WHEN YOU BEGIN SPEAKING. WHEN THERE ARE 30 SECONDS LEFT, YOU WILL SEE THAT A YELLOW LIGHT ON THE LECTERN, A RED LIGHT, AND A CHIME WILL INDICATE WHEN YOUR TIME IS UP. I WILL NOW CALL UP THE FIRST FIVE SPEAKERS. THANK YOU, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY BOARD FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK. SUPERINTENDANT PEREZ -- SORRY, CHAIR PEREZ AND SUPERINTENDENT. I AM DR. SONJA HALLMAN. A MOTHER WHOSE STUDENTS WENT THROUGH THE

008HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. I AM A RETIRED CRITICAL CARE PHYSICIAN. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I TRY TO INSTILL INTO OUR CHILDREN IS TO LOVE THY NEIGHBORS AND DO THE RIGHT THING EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE IS. I WANT TO STRESS THAT ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO READ ABOUT THEMSELVES. EVERY STUDENT AND CHILD NEEDS TO READ ABOUT THEMSELVES IN A BOOK. EVERY CHILD. LBGT, RACE, RELIGION AND SCULPTURE. RECOGNIZING ONESELF IN A BOOK CAN BE LIFE CHANGING AND IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES LIFE SAVING. CHILDREN OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHOULD NOT -- NO, CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO ARRIVE IN GRADUATION IGNORANT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT LIKE THEMSELVES. PARENTS SHOULD DETERMINE WHAT A CHILD READS AND THEY DO NOT ENJOY THAT RIGHT PERTAINING TO OTHER CHILDREN. NO ONE WANTS PORNOGRAPHY, TRUE PORNOGRAPHY IN OUR SCHOOLS AND, OF COURSE, CHILDREN SHOULD ONLY BE

009EXPOSED TO AGE-APPROPRIATE MATERIALS. I READ BOTH OF THESE BOOKS. YES, THEY CONTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF MOLESTATION WHICH TRAGICALLY 10% TO 0% OF AMERICAN GIRLS AND 7% TO 10% OF AMERICAN BOYS ACTUALLY EXPERIENCE. BUT AS JAMES BALDWIN ONCE WROTE, YOU THINK YOUR PAIN AND HEARTBREAK ARE UNPRECEDENTED IN THE WORLD. BUT THEN YOU READ "BLANKETS" OF A MAN WHO EXPERIENCES POVERTY AND BULLYING AND REJECTS THE ABILITY TO USE DRUGS. THIS SHOW THAT CHILDREN SURVIVE AND THEY CAN DO. IF YOU HAVE THE BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE CYCLE OF HISTORY TO KNOW -- TO REALLY KNOW -- THAT THE FLORIDA 2024 WILL NOT BE REMEMBERED KINDLY BY HISTORY. LEADERS AND ADMINISTRATION PRACTICE OF REF DOGS, CIVIL RIGHTS, CENSORSHIP AND BOOK BAN SOMETHING REVILED IN TIME. WE AMERICANS HAVE LOVED OUR CIVIL RIGHTS WHICH WE HAVE SHOWN OVER AND OVER IN

010THE BALLOT BOX. OUR NATION IS LOOKING AT FLORIDA. YOU ARE GUYS ARE PART OF HISTORY. YOUR FACES. YOUR NAMES WILL BE IN THE ARCHIVES OF OUR LOCAL PAPERS AND OUR NEWS, WHO KNOWS, MAYBE EVEN THE HISTORY BOOK. WHAT SIDE OF HISTORY DO YOU WANT TO BE ON? RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE THE EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY TO REJECT THE CENSORSHIP OR AT VERY LEAST MAKE IT MORE RIGOROUS AND TRANSPARENT. YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN THE FREEDOM TO READ WHAT THEY DESERVE. I AM ASKING YOU HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, DO THE RIGHT THING EVEN WHEN OTHERS ARE NOT. AND PLEASE LET THE CHILDREN READ. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. WE ARE, WE HAVE TIME SENSITIVE. IF WE CAN ALLOW THE SPEAKERS TO SPEAK. THANK YOU. HI, THANK YOU, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK.

011MY NAME IS STEVE RUSSELL. I AM FATHER OF FOUR. WHOSE CHILDREN ATTENDED AND GRADUATED FROM HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I AM SPEAKING TODAY TO CONTINUE TO ALLOW STUDENTS IN THIS COUNTY TO READ FREELY. EVERY PARENT HAS A RIGHT TO DECIDE WHAT BOOKS THEIR CHILDREN WILL READ, THEY DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHAT MINE AND OTHERS CAN. BOOKS OF CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECTS ARE IMPORTANT. IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR A PARENT TO CENSOR OR CONTROL WHAT THEIR CHILDREN READ ON THE INTERNET AND ACCESS ON SOEVEND. I TRY, BUT IT IS UP TO INDIVIDUALS TO CENSOR THEIR OWN CHILDREN AND NOT TO YENSOR ALL CHILDREN. AND TO HAVE DIALOGUE OF SEX, DRUGS, AND ILLNESS. SOMETHING THAT OUR CHILDREN SHOULD BE AWARE OF IN AN AGE-APPROPRIATE WAY. AGE-APPROPRIATE READING MATERIALS LIKE THE BOOK "BLANKETS" SHOULD BE ALLOWED IN

012OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. OVERCOMING BULLYING, PEER PRESSURE AND SEX REALITY FOR OLDER TEENS. CENSORSHIP OF THIS TYPE OF MATERIAL WILL MAKE OUR CHILDREN LESS PREPARED FOR LIFE AND MAKE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD MORE DIFFICULT. DO NOT ALLOW A SMALL MINORITY OF ADULTS, SOME WITH LESS THAN NOBLE REASONS, DUMB DOWN OUR STUDENTS AND LEAVE THEM LESS PREPARED FOR ADULTHOOD. THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. AS A REMINDER, PLEASE STATE WHAT COUNTY YOU ARE -- YOU RESIDE IN. GOOD AFTERNOON, THANK YOU, CHAIR PEREZ AND SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF. MY NAME IS ANT AVALA. I USE THEY THEM PRONOUNS AND THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZER HERE IN TAMPA BAY FOR QUALITY FLORIDA. I HAVE SPOKEN BEFORE THIS BOARD SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE AND I AM PROUD TO LEAD A GROUP OF FOLKS COMING HERE TO THANK THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT AND DISTRICT STAFF FOR

013THEIR SUPPORT OF ALL STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND FAMILY. WE TRUST THE PROFESSIONAL DISCRETION AND DECISION OF THE DISTRICT LEVEL REVIEW THAT HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE FOR BOTH THESE BOOKS. BOOKS ARE IMPORTANT TOOL FOR STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND COMPLEX TOPICS. LIMITING STUDENTS FROM ACCESSING BOOKS WITH CHALLENGING THEMES DOES NOT PROTECT STUDENTS. BOOKS ACT AS BOTH A MIRROR FOR US TO SEE OURSELVES REFLECTED AND A WINDOW FOR US TO SEE OTHERS. AND LEARN. SO I THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR YOUR GOOD STEWARDSHIP AND YOUR SUPPORT, YOUR PROTECTION FOR EVERY STUDENT AND YOUR RESPECT FOR EVERY FAMILY. THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU, IF I CAN GET SPEAKER 6-11 TO LINE UP. APPRECIATE IT. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THIS TIME. MY NAME IS MATTHEW JOHNSON. I LIVE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. I AM MARRIED TO A

014TEACHER IN ONE OF YOUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE FATHER OF TWO CHILDREN, ONE IN ELEMENTARY, AND ONE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL IN YOUR SCHOOLS AS WELL. SO AT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE GUESSED WE WOULD HAVE ANYTHING TO CELEBRATE DURING SCHOOL LIBRARY MONTH. BACK IN AUGUST, MY LIFE AND A LOT OF OTHER TEACHERS IN THIS DISTRICT WERE THINKING ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO WITH THEIR OWN CLASSROOM LIBRARIES. SOME OF THEM DECIDED TO TAKE THEIR BOOKS HOME INSTEAD OF WASTING THEIR TIME CATALOGING THEM ALL. MY WIFE, HOWEVER, LET ME COME INTO SCHOOL AND LOG HER BOOKS INTO THE SYSTEM. AS I ENTERED OVER 700 BOOKS, I WAS SURE THAT I WAS GOING TO HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF THEM FINDING THEIR WAY BACK INTO MY GARAGE. SO SHE HAS A DIVERSE

015COLLECTION OF STORIES THAT OFTEN DEPICT PEOPLE THAT OUR STATE WANTS TO -- WHOSE HISTORY OUR STATE WANTS TO WHITEWASH. MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, NONE OF MY WIFE'S BOOK SUFFERED ANY BANS AND SHE HAVE STILL HAS HER FULL COLLECTION. SO TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE BOARD FOR PUTTING PROCESSES IN PLACE WHERE PARENTS CAN CHALLENGE THE MATERIALS THAT ARE FOUND IN OUR SCHOOLS, BUT WE ARE ALSO ENSURING THAT OUR DIVERSE CULTURE CONTINUES TO BE REPRESENTED AND THAT A LOT OF THESE CHALLENGING MATERIALS CAN BE AVAILABLE. AND THANK YOU FOR SHIELDING OUR TEACHERS FROM THE DISTRACTIONS AND THANK YOU FOR NOT IMPOSING OTHER PARENTS' DESIRE TO SHELTER THEIR PARENTS ONLINE. WITH THAT, GO BOLTS! THANKS. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAJOR MAXIM, U.S. ARMY RETIRED. WELCOME. I HAVE NOT MET YOU YET. I

016FEEL THAT THE IDENTICAL IN "BLANKETS" CLEARLY VIOLATE FLORIDA STATUTES 100628487041-8470011, 847012, AND 8470133. I FEEL THAT SOMEBODY NEEDS TO MAKE AN INVESTIGATION WHO IS THE SIGNATURE AUTHORITY AND THE APPROVAL AUTHORITY FOR THESE BOOKS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. HAVE A NICE DAY. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. HI, MY NAME IS TAB THAT. I AM A RESIDENT OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. A PROFESSOR HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. MORE IMPORTANTLY, A PARENT OF A HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT. AS SOMEONE RAISED IN THE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLE AND FUNDAMENTAL BAPTIST, I KNOW THE DAMAGE OF BOOK BANNING AS A CHURCH WHEN I WAS GROWING UP DICTATED WHAT I WOULD READ. LEFT ME WOEFULLY UNPREPARED AND UNDERSTANDING MY OWN PERSONAL IDENTITY WHEN I ENTERED THE UNITED STATES MILITARY AND COLLEGE AFTERWARDS. MORE IMPORTANTLY, I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT ACTUAL

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

018TO EN SCOURGE PEOPLE TO GIVE UP. AND SO OTHERS MIGHT IDENTIFY POSSIBLE VICTIMS OR PERPETRATORS. SO EVERY READER DEVELOPS EMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING FOR A VERY BIG, VERY REAL PROBLEM. I UNDERSTAND THE SUBJECT MATTER IS DISTRESSING AND MEANT TO BE, BUT CLOSING OUR EYES WILL NOT MAKE IT GO AWAY. SPEAKING AS AN AUTHOR MYSELF, I AGREE WE WILL AND ELLEN'S PUBLISHERS BEING THE BOOK AND APPROPRIATE SUBJECT MATTER FOR TEENS. SPEAKING AS LITERACY PROFESSOR, THE LACK OF ACCEPTANCE ON UNCOMFORTABLE TOPICS LED TO MANY PEOPLE IN COLLEGE TO FULLY COMPREHEND OF WORKS THAT WERE PRESENTED TO THEM AS THE AUDIENCE AND OF DIFFERENT VIEWS "IDENTICAL" DOES BOTH. THE DUTY OF THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR LIFE. NOT TO INHIBIT THAT. SPEAKING OF A PARENT IN THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT TIRED OF MYSELF AND FELLOW PARENTS

019WHAT SHOULD BE PERMITTED BY PARENTS WHO DO NOT HAVE STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE LAST TIME I CHECKED THEY WEREN'T EDUCATING OR RAISING MY CHILD. MY SON HAS SOMETHING TO SAY. SAY IT. MY VOICE COUNTS AND I DON'T WANT BOOKS BANNED. THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. HELLO, MY NAME IS CARMEN AND THE LEAVE-LONG RESIDENT OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. I READ "IDENTICAL" AND "BLANKETS" AND I WANT YOU TO KEEP THEM IN THE LIBRARY. THESE NOTES ARE BEING SHARED WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE READERS AND THEIR PARENTS. DEAR ELLEN, "IDENTICAL" THE MOST INTENSE WORK OF LITERATURE I EVER READ. I NEVER BEEN SO CLOSE TO SOMETHING MY ENTIRE LIFE. ONLY THING THAT HAD LIFE BEARABLE TO READ YOUR BOOKS, RELATE TO THEM AND REALIZE I AM NOT ALONE AND NEVER HAVE BEEN. FIRST OF

020ALL, THANKS, A TON. SUCH AN INSPIRATION. I WAS NERVOUS TO READ THESE INTENSE TOPICS AND AT POINTS, I FOUND MYSELF IN TEARS WITH EVERYTHING SO REAL. 15 AND ALMOST 16. SINCE I WAS 10 TWO SEPARATE SEXUAL ABUSE, MY UNCLE AND THEN HIS FRIENDS. IT WAS TOUGH TO LIVE WITH FOR A WHILE. REMINDED ME HOW SCARY IT WAS TO DEAL WITH WHEN THE SECTIONS OF KALEY SPEAR WHEN COUNTS HER FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS IN THE HALL SCARED OF WHAT IS COMING NEXT. I DON'T KNOW IF I CRIED THAT HARD IN MY LIFE. IT IS OKAY BECAUSE ALTHOUGH IT IS FICTIONAL THESE THINGS REALLY HAPPENED AND I AM NOT GOING THROUGH IT BY MYSELF. ABUSE IS VERY REAL AND HOPE, FAITH AND LOVE ARE VERY REAL AND CAN OFTEN OUTWEIGH THE STRUGGLES. GIVEN ME HOPE AND SECURITY. YOU ARE

021AN AMAZING PERSON AND I LOOK FORWARD TO READING YOUR NEWEST BOOK IN AUGUST. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND TURNING FRIGHTENING TOPICS INTO CONVERSATION. SECOND NOTE SHE RECEIVED. HELLO, MISS HOPKINS. I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW THAT ALL OF YOUR BOOKS HAVE TOUCHED ME, ESPECIALLY "IDENTICAL." I FEEL LIKE YOU WERE WRITING ABOUT MY LIFE DOWN TO THE LAST DETAIL. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THEIR BOOK. IT IS MY FAVORITE. IT MADE ME CRY, WHICH THAT IS THE FIRST BOOK THAT HAS EVER DONE THAT. MOSTLY I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR NOT CHOOSING THE DOOR BECAUSE PEOPLE ASSUME NOTHING HAPPENS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. I WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED UNTIL I WAS 16 BY MY FATHER. -- IT WAS AMAZING HOW MANY DETAILS I COULD SAY, HEY, THAT'S ME. UNHIKE HER, I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO COME OUT

022ABOUT MY FATHER AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS. I AM WORKING OUT COUNSELING THOUGH AND HOPE SOME DAY SOON I WILL BE ABLE TO TELL THEM. THANK YOU AGAIN. IN SUMMARY, THESE BOOKS HAVE MADE IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE PROCESS OF THIS BOARD BECAUSE A FEW PEOPLE WHOSE CHILDREN WHO WEREN'T IN THIS SCHOOL WHERE THE BOOKS WERE QUESTIONED THINK THEY KNOW BETTER THAN THE MEDIA SPECIALIST, TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS AND NOW YOU, SCHOOL BOARD. YOU READ THE BOOK AND YOU KNOW BOTH OF THESE BOOKS AS A WHOLE FROM LITERACY AND ARTISTIC VALUE. I ASK YOU TO STAND AGAINST BOOK BANNING AS SELECTED BY THE KNOWLEDGEABLE AND CARING PROFESSIONALS YOU EMPLOY, THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. I AM RACHEL. WE ARE ONE OF YOUR MILITARY FAMILIES. WE ARE MERE FOR THE BOOK "IDENTICAL" READ A EXCERPT.

023MARVELLED HOW SHE FIT HIM FLESH TO FLESH. DON'T, SHE SAID. DON'T BECOME PART OF YOU. I AM PART OF YOU. YOU WANT TO PLEASE ME? SAY MY NAME. YOU SAID -- ANYTHING YOU SAID, CAN'T YOU KEEP YOUR WORD. HIS CALM LEFT, STAY IT, MICHAEL, GROUND OUT, CUPPED HER FACE. LOOK AT ME. SAY IT AGAIN. MICHAEL -- KEEP ON SAYING IT. EVERYBODY IS UNCOMFORTABLE. I AM SO, SORY. I GOT CONFUSED FROM "REDEEMING LOVE" FROM FRANCINE RIVERS. ANOTHER BOOK -- I HAVE A POINT -- I AM COMING BACK -- Jim Porter: YOU NEED TO -- I AM TALKING ABOUT THE BOOK. Jim Porter: THAT IS NOT "IDENTICAL." I HAVE "IDENTICAL" PRINTED OUT. FOR GOD'S SAKE. I AM MAKING THE CASES THERE A DOUBLE STANDARD. I DID READ "IDENTICAL." I READ BOTH BOOKS. ANOTHER BOOK IN NEWSOM'S LIBRARY

024THAT WASN'T CHALLENGING CONTAINING THE EXACT SAME CONTENT AS "IDENTICAL" BOTH CONTAIN CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT, SELF-HARM AND A GIRL BEING RAPED BY HER FATHER. ONE WAS CHALLENGED AND NOT THE OTHER BECAUSE OF THE CHANGER'S RELIGIOUS BELIEF. I'M HERE TO ACCEPT THAT THE BLANKET HYPOCRISY. THIS DOUBLE STANDARD IS PROTECTING MY CHILDREN? THIS IS WORTHLESS TO ME. HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD I STAND HERE AND ASK THAT THE DOUBLE STANDARD OF RANDOM CITIZENS THAT CHERRY PICK NOT BE THE WAY THAT POLICY IS MADE FOR MY KIDS AND YOU INSTEAD CENTER WHAT EVIDENCE SAID. NO EVIDENCE THAT "IDENTICAL" OR "BLANKETS" CAUSED HEALTH PROBLEMS. I AM A RAPE SURVIVOR. I SAW MYSELF IN "IDENTICAL." I WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY THAT MY ABUSER WAS UNSAFE. BEFORE I WAS ASSAULTED MAYBE I WOULD HAVE THE COURAGE TO COME FORWARD AND MY ABUSER WON'T

025BE WALKING AROUND PINELLAS COUNTY. IN THIS BOOK CONTAINS TRAUMA RESPONSES FROM SEXUAL ASSAULT. THE BOOK ENDED WITH THE MAIN CHARACTER GETTING HELP FROM TRUSTED ADULT SOMETHING THAT I WISH I WOULD HAVE DONE. OFFERING HOPE AND SOMETHING I HAD NONE OF. THIS THE BOOK'S IMPACT. I HOPE YOU LISTEN TO EVIDENCE OF THE TEENS AND SURVIVORS. BECAUSE SHAME DIES WHEN STORIES ARE TOLD IN SAFE SPACES LIKE "IDENTICAL." I MAY NOT LIKE "REDEEMING LOVE" OR OTHER PARTS OF "IDENTICAL" BUT I WOULD NOT BAN IT FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN. NOT APPROPRIATE. PARENTS CAN DECIDE ON A CASE BY CASE SPECIALIST. KEEP BOTH THE BOOKS. KEEP "REDEEMING LOVE." STOP HCPS PARENTS WITH THIS, WASTING THEIR TIME. MY KIDS DESERVE BETTER THAN DOUBLE STANDARDS. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. CAN I HAVE SPEAKERS 12-15 LINE UP PLEASE? HI. I'M BEACH.

026WRITER, READER AND ADVOCACY OF LITERACY CURRENTLY IN ORANGE COUNTY. I OBVIOUSLY OPPOSE THIS BOOK BAN. I KNOW CLIPS OF THIS BOOK AND THESE TWO BOOKS HAVE BEEN SENT TO YOU AND WILL BE READ TO YOU OUT OF CONTEXT IN THE HOPES OF SHOCKING DELICATE SENSES. I HAVE READ BOTH BOOKS IN FULL AND WILL ARGUE THAT THEY ARE WRITTEN WITH CARE AND PROVIDE WORDS AND REALITY AROUND HARMFUL EXPERIENCES HIKE ABUSE IN A WAY THAT TEEN READERS CAN PROCESS. LET ME APPEAL TO- FACTS, DATA AND LOGIC, TOOLS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN EMPLOYED AND THE PROCESS OF CHANGE EGGING THESE BOOKS. A THIRD OF SIXTH-GRADERS AND SEVENTH GRADERS ARE VICTIMS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT. WHEN TEENS WHO HAVE BEEN ABUSED DON'T HAVE A WAY TO IDENTIFY AND RECOGNIZE THEIR EXPERIENCES AS ABUSE REMEMBER THOSE EXPERIENCES BECOME NORMALIZED AND ACCEPTED.

027THAT IS ACTUAL HARM. AS OPPOSED TO THE 91%. 91% OF TEENS SEEKING HELP FOR A SHIELD ABUSED NOW WHO CRED CRIT REPRESENTATION OF SEXUAL ABUSE LIKE THESE BOOKS AS THE FIRST STEP TO IDENTIFY THESE ABUSE. THE OPPOSITE OF HARM. KNEES ARE DATA. THROUGH THE LENS AND AGE OF THE VICTIMS SO THAT READERS AND THEIR BOOKS INTENDED AGE RANGE CAN EXPERIENCE IT, READ IT AND HELP. THIS BOOK'S CHALLENGE SUN REASONABLE AND I IMPLORE YOU TO BE REASONABLE AND RESPOND TO DATA AND TESTIMONY OF VICTIMS AND THE AUTHOR INSTEAD OF THE DELICATE FEELINGS FEW. BECAUSE AGAIN I AM ROOTED IN DATA, MY SOURCES ARE SEVERAL STUDIES PUBLISHED IN CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES REF VIEW, CHILD CARE.GOV AND PSYCHECOLOGY TODAY. THANKS. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. HI, MY NAME IS BETSY BRADEN AND I LIVE IN TAMPA,

028FLORIDA. BOTH OF MY KIDS WENT TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I WANT TO THANK THE SCHOOL BOARD FOR THEIR BOOK REVIEW GUIDELINES. PLEASE DO NOT BE SWAYED TO CHANGE THESE GUIDELINES DUE TO THE EXTREME GROUPS AND DON'T BAN "IDENTICAL" AND "BLANKETS." PARENTS HAVE A RIGHT TO CHALLENGE THEIR CHILDREN'S READING BUT PARENTS SHOULD NOT MAKE DECISIONS FOR ANOTHER PARENTS' STUDENTS. SMALL GROUP SHOULD NOT DICTATE WHAT BOOKS OTHER PEOPLE'S CHILDREN SHOULD READ. YOUNG PEOPLE SEE THEMSELVES REFLECTED IN A LIBRARY'S BOOK SUCH AS THE BOOK "BLANKETS" AND "IDENTICAL." BOOKS ARE COOL FOR COMPLEX ISSUES, LIMITING YOUNG PEOPLE'S ACCESS TO BOOKS DOES NOT PROTECT THEM FROM LIFE'S COMPLEX AND CHALLENGING ISSUES. REMOVING AND BANNING BOOKS FROM PUBLIC LIBRARIES IS A SLIPPERY SLOPE A GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP AND ERODING OF OUR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND THREAT FOR DEMOCRACY. REMEMBER THEY CAME

029FOR THE BOOKS. AND THEN THEY CAME FOR THE PEOPLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. Karen Perez: THANK YOU HOME RUN NEXT SPEAKER. I LOVE THE WORDS UP THERE. HELLO, MY NAME IS DAVID COLEMAN. THE EXCERPT "I COULD BLAME HIM. HE IS MY FOREVER SCAPEGOAT, REALLY? OKAY, NOT SO HEALTHY, TOTALLY HEALTHY IS SOMETHING I MIGHT NOT EVER BE. ONE THING IS FOR SURE, I WILL BREAK THE ABUSE CYCLE. IT STARTS WITH ME. MY CHILDREN WILL NOT LIVE IN FEAR. I WILL CREATE A HOME OF NURTURE AND LOVE AND RAISE THEM SAFELY." CONTENT WARNING WITH THE BOOK "IDENTICAL." MENTAL ILLNESS, SEXUAL ASSAULT, MENTAL HEALTH, CHILD AIL BUSS, DRUG ABUSE, EATING DISORDER, PEDOPHILIA, SUICIDAL THOUGHTS, SEXUAL VIOLENCE, SUICIDE ATTEMPT, VOMITING, ADDICTION, EMOTIONAL ABUSE, ON AND ON AND ON. SO THESE THINGS HAPPEN. IT IS INGRAINEDED INTO MANY PEOPLE'S

030LIVES, FRONT AND CENTER IN KIDS' LIVES BUT NOT IN FAMILY DISCUSSIONS. I READ REVIEWS ON "IDENTICAL. S" RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 14, 15 AND 16-YEAR-OLDS. DEFENSE ISSUES TO DEAL WITH FOR MANY IN LIFE. IF A KID CAN'T BEGIN TO SORT THEM OUT AND FIND HELP IN THE EXCERPT THAT I READ MANY FALL PREY TO ADDICTION A R OR THE OPPOSITE OR POOR FAMILY CONNECTIONS. NOT SOMETHING ANYBODY WILL REMEMBER ABOUT IN THE CHURCH GROUP. EVEN RELATIONSHIPS FOR VICTIMS AS WELL. TO HAVE THE IDENTITY AND FIND SOLUTIONS IS MORE AVAILABLE OUTSIDE THE FAMILY IN READING AND. THIS THERAPY GROUPS CERTAINLY NOT IN LIVING IN SILENCE WITH THE SKELETON NOTICE CLOSE AROUND THE HOUSE. I TRUST THE EXISTING SCHOOL LIBRARY SYSTEM TO DISCERN THE REQUEST OF OUR STUDENTS. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD I AM APPALLED BY THE EXCERPT OF

031THE VILE LANGUAGE BROUGHT TO THIS CHAMBER. I WORKED WITH SOME OF THE MOST DIFFICULT PEOPLE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH IN THE LAST 40 YEARS AND I HAVE THE EXPRESSION AROUND THE MEETINGS THAT I ATTEND. IF YOU CAN'T DO IT IN THE WALMART 3:00 IN THE MORNING WITHOUT GETTING A BAKER ACT, YOU CAN'T DO IT IN HERE. THIS BOARD WILL HAVE THE POWERS -- A DIFFICULT TOPIC, YOU MIGHT STOP THE VIOLENT CURSING AND SWEARING GOING ON IN THIS ROOM. THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. HOWDY, HOWDY. HELLO, MY NAME IS RAY PAPION. A RESIDENT OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. A RETIRED MASTER SERGEANT WITH THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND I AM ALSO RETIRED SENIOR FROM THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE. DURING MY TIME AT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, I WORKED WITH THE SCHOOLS FOR

032QUITE A BIT OF TOO EMWITH SCHOOL SAFETY AND THEN AGAIN AS RESOURCE OFFICER AT GAITHER HIGH SCHOOL DOING DOUBLE SESSIONS. I HAVE AN IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE SCHOOLS. MY ADULT KIDS WENT ALL THROUGH HILLSBOROUGH SCHOOLS AND ONE LEFT THAT WENT AT BLOOMINGDALE. UNFORTUNATE A LOT OF TIME MY ADULT KIDS, I WAS DEPLOYED AND I DIDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK AND COME ABOUT THINGS THAT I WAS OVER THERE FIGHTING FOR TO PUT IT THAT WAY. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO SPEAK NOW. IRONICALLY, EVERYTHING I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THESE TWO BOOKS WAS ALREADY SAID BACK IN 1965 BY RADIO COMMENTATOR NAMED PAUL HARVEY. WHO WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT YOU GUYS WOULD BE HAVING TO DEAL WITH THIS TODAY, BUT HE KNEW. SO HE SAID EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO SAY. SO

033IF I CAN JUST READ A FEW LINES FROM THAT SPEECH. THE SPEECH IS CALLED "IF YOU WERE THE DEVIL." IF YOU WERE THE DEVIL, I MEAN IF I WAS THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS. I WOULD WANT TO ENGULF THE WHOLE EARTH IN DARKNESS. A THIRD OF THE REAL ESTATE AND 4/50th OF THE POPULATION, BUT I WILL NOT BE FULLY HAPPY UNTIL I SEIZED THE RIPEST APPLE ON THE TREE. I WILL SET MY GOALS HOWEVER NECESSARY TO TAKE OVER THE UNITED STATES. I WILL BEGIN WITH A CAMPAIGN OF WHISPERS, WITH THE WISDOM OF THE SERPENT, I WILL WHISPER TO YOU AS I WHISPER TO EVE. DO AS YOU PLEASE. FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, I WOULD WHISPER, THE BIBLE IS A MYTH. I WOULD CONVINCE THEM THAT MAN CREATED GOD INSTEAD OF THE OTHER WAY AROUND. IF YOU WERE

034THE DEVIL, I WOULD EDUCATE AUGHT TO MAKE LITERATURE EXCITING SO THAT EVERYTHING ELSE WILL APPEAR DULL AND UNINTERESTING. I WOULD THREATEN TV WITH MOVIES AND VICE VERSA. THEN IF I WAS A DEVIL, I WOULD GET ORGANIZED. I WOULD PEDDLE NARCOTICS WITH WHOM I COULD. IF I WERE THE DEVIL, I WOULD ENCOURAGE SCHOOLS TO REFINE THE INTERELECT AND NEGLECT THE DISCIPLINES OF EMOTION. LET THOSE RUN WIELD. IF I WERE SATAN MAKE SYMBOLS THE EGG AND CHRISTMAS THE BOTTLE. IN OTHER WORDS, IF I WAS SATAN I WOULD KEEP ON DOING WHAT HE HAS BEEN DOING. 60 YEARS AGO. WE USED TO GET NOSE LITTLE NUGGETS THREE OR FOUR TIMES A DAY. WE DON'T GET THEM ANY MORE FROM PAUL HARVEY. I KIND OF MISSED THAT. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER -- AND CAN I GET SPEAKS

03516-20. TO COME UP PLEASE. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY ON THIS IMPORTANT TOPIC OF INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM. ERIN QUINN, PARENT TO TWO CHILDREN IN HILLSBOROUGH SCHOOLS. PRESIDENT OF ROBINSON HIGH SCHOOL AND A TEACHER WITH STUDENTS AT ROBINSON. I READ "BLANKETS" TRAUMAS OF GROWING UP, TRAUMAS OF SEXUAL ABUSE AND THE STORY WAS MOVING AND I SAW MYSELF IN IT IN MANY PLACES. WHILE THIS BOOK IS A GRAPHIC NOVEL -- AND I DO THINK THERE ARE GOOD REASONS TO BE MORE WARY OF IMAGES THAN WORDS -- I DID NOT FIND THE BOOK TO BE PORNOGRAPHIC. I WOULD ALLOW MY CHILDREN AGES 13 AND 17 TO READ IT IF THEY CHOSE. THAT IS WHAT IS AT ISSUE HERE. MY CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE IT HE I NEED ACCESS TO A BOOK

036BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE OBJECTS TO IT. IT IS MY PREROGATIVE AND MY RESPONSIBILITY AS A PARENT TO MAINTAIN THE RELATIONSHIPS I HAVE WITH MY KIDS SO I KNOW WHAT THEY ARE READING. AND THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE TALKING TO ME ABOUT ANY HARD CONCEPTS THAT THEY ENCOUNTER. I THINK OUR RESOURCES WILL BE BETTER USED TO TEACH PARENTS AND ADULTS FOR SAFE PLACES WITH CONVERSATION WITH CHILDREN PRESIDENT NOT THE BOOKS THAT AREN'T SAFE. PLEASE DON'T INFRINGE ON MY FREEDOMS AND RESOURCES AS PARENT THAT UTILIZES ONE OF OUR NATION'S GREAT INNOVATIONS. FREE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER? MY NAME IS CHRIS BEARD AND I LIVE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. I AM SPEAKING ABOUT THE BOOK "IDENTICAL." I HEAR THESE WORDS "SENSOR 14I7" AND "BAN" AND YOU SHOULDN'T PREVENT MY CHILDREN FROM READ WHAT THEY WANT TO READ. THAT

037IS NOT HAPPENING. THIS IS ABOUT AGE-APPROPRIATE BOOKS FOR OUR -- IN THE SCHOOL LIBRARIES. PARENTS CAN GET THESE IN ANY OTHER LIBRARY STUDENTS CAN GET THEM. BUT THE MAIN THING IS, IT IS AGAINST THE LAW. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW. YOU IT DON'T LIKE IT, CHANGE THE LAW. HERE ON THE REVIEW FOR THE "IDENTICAL" IT SAYS IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 18, AND THIS MATERIAL OFFENDS YOU OR IF IT IS ILLEGAL FOR TO YOU VIEW THESE, PLEASE EXIT NOW. DID THE MEDIA SPECIALISTS KNOW HOW TO READ? WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS OF THE MEDIA SPECIALIST? DO THEY HAVE THE JUDGMENT OF AN ADULT? OR THE JUDGMENT OF A HORNY 14-YEAR-OLD TEEN? THESE BOOKS CAN BE AVAILABLE WHEREVER YOU WANT EXCEPT SCHOOL LIBRARIES. THAT IS WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. I THINK THIS IS JUST

038A BUNCH OF BUSY WORK FOR PARENTS. A LOT OF PARENTS CAN'T BE HERE BECAUSE THEY ARE WORKING. WOULDN'T MATTER IF THE MEETING WAS IN THE EVENING. THEY ARE WORKING. THEY ARE TIRED. IT IS YOUR JOB TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN. IF THE PARENTS WANT TO GET THE BOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE, FINE, LET THEM. I AM NOT STOPPING THEM. BUT THE LAW SAYS NOT IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL LIBRARIES. THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU, NEXT SPEA SPEAKER. MY NAME IS BARB TEPKE AND I LIVE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. I TRUST THE LIBRARIAN AND OTHER DISTRICT STAFF WHO KNOW KIDS AND KNOW AGE-APPROPRIATE MATERIAL. I RESPECT THE PROFESSIONAL DECISIONS OF THE DISTRICT REVIEW COMMITTEE. I LISTEN TO PART OF "IDENTICAL" THROUGH THE PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM. I WAS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE BUT I REALIZE THAT IS THE WAY OF LIFE FOR SOME

039CHILDREN. AND I HOPE THAT READING THE BOOK CAN HELP THEM COPE WITH LIFE AND FIND SOME HELP. I BELIEVE THAT EDUCATION IS A PROCESS THAT TEACHES US TO ANALYZE BOOKS WITH COMPLEX THEMES ALSO TO ANALYZE MATH EQUATIONS, SCIENTIFIC THEORYS OR A NEW LANGUAGE. I BELIEVE THAT PARENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT BOOKS AND MATERIALS FOR THEIR OWN CHILD. I DO NOT BELIEVE THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT ACCESS FOR ANYONE ELSE'S CHILDREN. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. HI THERE. MY NAME IS AMY. I AM THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PTA PRESIDENT. I WANT TO THANK THE SCHOOL BOARD FOR THEIR WORK IN KEEPING OUR SCHOOLS SAFE AND FOR OUR CHILDREN. WE MUST EXPRESS OF BANNING BOOKS THAT EXPOSE PEOPLE TO BROAD PLACES, PEOPLE AND PERSPECTIVES. STUDENTS DESERVE AN EDUCATION FOR A VARIETY OF IDEAS AND EXPERIENCES

040THAT REFLECT THE WORLD WE LIVE IN. BOOKS LIKE "BLANKETS" AND "IDENTICAL" CAN LEAD TO THE CENSORSHIP OF THOSE OF PEOPLE OF COLOR AND LBGTQ PLUS THAT CAN HINDER THE GROWTH OF ALL STUDENTS. IT EXPLORES TOPICS THAT ADULTS MAY FIND UNCOMFORTABLE TO DISCUSS, FOSTER EMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING. OUR SCHOOLS SHOULD BE PLACE WHERE IS EVERY STUDENT SHOULD BE WELCOMED, ACCEPTED AND VALUED REGARDLESS OF RACE, RELIGION OR AYE IDENTITY. TOP MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF OUR SYSTEMS, WE MUST HAVE CHALLENGES OF BEST PRACTICES RATHER THAN ARBITRARY DECISIONS. MANY DOWNPLAY BOOK REMOVALS BUT NOT BANNING BOOK BUT HAVING THEM REMOVING THEM FROM SCHOOL. TO PREVENT CHILDREN FROM HAVING ACCESS TO THE BOOKS WITH THE SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS MUCH THESE FAMILIES. MANY DON'T HAVE THE EXTRA $0 TO BUY A BOOK AND NOT EVERYBODY LIVE IN WALKING DISTANCE OF A LIBRARY. 60%

041OF OUR STUDENTS ARE ON FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH. AND LET'S CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER TO SUPPORT A VY BEEN AT AND INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL CHILDREN. THANK YOU, GUYS. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS LAURA KISICK, A MOM OF THREE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. GEORGE ORWELL SAID THE FIRST DUET SEVEN OF AN INTELLIGENT MAN IS THE RESTATEMENT OF THE OBVIOUS. THAT IS WHY I'M HERE TO RESTATE THE OBVIOUS. BOOKS WITH SEXUALLY EXPLICIT CONTENT DO NOT BELONG IN OUR SCHOOLS. FULL STOP. THIS IS NOT ABOUT MY FEELING. IT IS WHAT THE LAW SAID. STATUTE 1006.28, NO BOOK WITH SEXUAL CONDUCT SHOULD BE EVER IN OUR SCHOOLS AND DEFINED "SEXUAL CONDUCT" AS ANYTHING THAT HAS MASTURBATION, WHICH "BLANKETS" HAS RIGHT HERE WHICH I AM SURE YOU HAVE ALL SEEN. ANYTHING TO DO WITH

042CHILD SEX MOLESTATION WHICH IS RIGHT HERE. IN OLDER MAN PULLING A YOUNG BOY'S PANTS DOWN. ANOTHER YOUNG MAN TOUCHING THIS BOY'S BUTTOCKS. SEXUAL TOUCHING SUCH AS THIS. IT IS ALL RIGHT THERE IN "BLANKETS." EVERY SINGLE THING THAT 1006. THAT IT DEFINE IS RIGHT THERE. SO THERE HAS BEEN SOME CONFUSION OF WHAT "INTENT TO AROUSE" MEANS. THE PLANT HIGH SCHOOL COMMITTEE APPLIED THIS TO INTENT TO AROUSE THE READER AND OTHER INTENT TO AROUSE THE CHARACTERS IN THE BOOK. WITH THE ATTEMPT TO AROUSE OR SEXUALLY GRATIFY THE PARTIES. IT IS OBVIOUSLY THE BOOK IS MEANT TO AROUSE THE CHARACTERS, NOT THE READERS. AS A SIDE NOTE, I WAS RETURNING HOME LAST NIGHT ON A SOUTHWEST FLIGHT, I NOTICED WHEN TRYING TO CONNECT WITH THE INTERNET. IT SAID WE WON'T HAVE ACCESS TO CERTAIN OBSCENE OR OFFENSIVE CONTENT.

043THE AIRLINES GET IT. FEDERAL LAW FROM PREVENTING PROFANE MATERIAL FROM BROADCAST TV. BUT SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO MISS THE OBVIOUS. THEY DON'T GET IT. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY SCHOOLS CAN'T MAKE A SIMILAR STATEMENT IN THEIR SCHOOL LIBRARIES THAT WE PROHIBIT ACCESS MINORS OF A OBSCENE AND OFFENSIVE CONTENT. HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS ARE STILL CHILDREN UNDER THE LAW AND TO PREPARE THEM ACADEMICALLY, NOT SEXUALLY, THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. CAN I GET SPEAKERS 21-26 LINING UP PLEASE. HI, CARMEN EDMONDS. I LIVE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. A COUPLE OF POINTS. NUMBER ONE, NO ONE IS ASKING FOR BOOKS TO BE BANNED OR CENSORED NOT WHAT WE ARE DOING HERE. WE ARE ASKING FOR AGE INAPPROPRIATE BOOK TO BE REMOVED FROM MINORS SO THEY CAN'T GET ACCESS TO THEM WITHOUT PARENT CONTENT. OUR BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS EVEN

044PASSED THAT EVEN IN A PUBLIC LIBRARY, KIDS HAVE TO HAVE PARENTS' PERMISSIONS, AND THEY HAVE TO BE A CERTAIN AGE TO CHECK OUT CERTAIN BOOKS. I AM NOT SURE WE ARE WHY WE ARE NOT IMPLEMENTING THAT HERE AT THE PUBLIC SCHOOL LEVEL SOMEONE'S POINT KIDS CAN'T BE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES. THE LIBRARIES WILL MAIL YOU BOATS 37 WHAT THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DID, CERTAIN KIDS WILL NOT GET THE BOOKS BECAUSER IN THE NOT THE RIGHT AGE TO GET THE BOOKS. DUMB DOWN. THAT IS NOT THE CASE. WE ALL WANT OUR CHILDREN TO BE SUCCEED. WHY ARE WE WASTING MONEY ON BOOKS THAT ARE NOT AGE-APPROPRIATE AND NOT THE CORRECT -- FOR THE GRADE LEVELS THAT THEY ARE IN. SOME OF THE PEOPLE SAY THEY TRUST THE MEDIA SPECIALIST TO MAKE A DECISION

045ABOUT THESE BOOKS. WHY? THEY ARE NOT PROVIDING AGE-APPROPRIATE READING LEVEL BOOKS TO THE KIDS. WHO IS DUMBING WHO DOWN IF WE ARE NOT PUTTING THE MILE LEXILES IN THE GRADES. THE PRIMARY FUNCTION OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS NOT SOCIAL WORK. IT IS TO EDUCATE THE KIDS. WHEN YOU SUFFER ON A SMALL MINORITY, IT SUFFERS. THESE BOOKS HAVE BEEN IN OUR SCHOOLS FOR YEARS. ASK YOURSELF IF THEY ARE REALLY HELPING THE KIDS AS SOME OF THESE PEOPLE SAY THEY ARE, WHY ARE WE SEEING INCREASES IN VIOLENCE, SUICIDE, BULLYING, DRUG USE AND DEPRESSION. IF THESE BOOKS ARE ACCESSIBLE TO THEIR KIDS AND HELPING THESE ISSUES THEY ARE NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE INCREASING EXPONENTIALLY IN OUR SCHOOLS. THESE BOOKS HELPING OR NORMALIZING THE BEHAVIORS IN THESE BOOKS. WE ARE SEEING THE INCREASE IN THE ABHORRENT BEHAVIOR IN THE

046STUDENTS THESE BOOKS ARE CAUSING PROBLEMS WHAT SOCIAL WORKERS ARE FOR WE DON'T NEED TO HAVE THESE BOOKS OUT HERE FOR KIDS TO READ, LEARN ABOUT NORMALIZING BEHAVIORS. SOME OF THESE BOOKS TALK ABOUT KIDS BEING ON EACH OTHER. PEDOPHILIA. THE LAST BOOK I READ LAST TIME WAS TOTALLY HORRIBLE -- Jim Porter: CAN YOU JUST STICK TO -- YEP. THINGS IN THESE BOOKS THAT ARE NORMALIZING BAD BEHAVIOR. Karen Perez: THANK YOU, NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD AFTERNOON, JULIA PARTS AND I AM A HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY RESIDENT. I HAD FOUR KIDS IN THE DISTRICT FORMALLY. SO THERE IS AN ABUNDANCE OF CONTENT TO DISCUSS OF THE TWO BOOKS BLANK GETS AND IDENTICAL. I WILL SPOKE WITH "IDENTICAL." "BLANKETS" WAS TALKED OF THE IMAGES. MINORS ENGAGING IN SEXUAL ACT WHICH IS THE EXACT DEFINITION OF "CHILD PORNOGRAPHY" 8.7001. 17-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN ENGAGE INCOME

047SEXUAL ACTS ILLEGAL TO BE IN SCHOOLS. SO "IDENTICAL" TRAUMATIZING STORY OF SET OF YOUNG TWINS INCLUDING CHILD RAPE, MORE RAPE, ALCOHOL ABUSE, BULIMIA, GLORIFIED SUICIDE AND IDEALIZATION, CUTTING AND TEENAGER WHO PAYS FOR DRUGS WITH SEX. I WILL SAY THIS, CALLING IT A TALE SURVIVAL DOES NOT EMPHASIZE THE PROBLEMATIC ISSUES THAT ARE NOWHERE IN THE BOOK ADDRESSED WITH A RESOLUTION. KIDS ARE LEFT WITH THE IDEA THAT SUICIDE ON THE WAY OUT. MORNINGSC-17 R-RATED MOVIES MAY HAVE AS TIS PARTICULAR VALUE, BUT THEY ARE STILL NOT FIT FOR CHILDREN. CONTENT WARNINGS LIKE THE GENTLEMAN AND WHAT I JUST READ TO YOU, NOWHERE ON THE SUMMARY OR DISTRICT WEB SITE. IF THEY DON'T READ ANY BOOK IN THEIR CHILDREN'S LIBRARIES, HOW DO WE EXPECT PARENTS TO MAKE THE DECISIONS. HERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT I WANT TO TALK

048ABOUT THAT ARE UNARE RESOLVED IN THE BOOK. THE CHILD REPEATEDLY RAPED BY HER FATHER. I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE HIM GO TO PRISON. I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE HIM LOCKED UP. A RAPINGEST AND SHE IS SAYING THIS. WHAT ARE WE TEACHING GIRLS? AT CAROL'S URGING I APOLOGIZED TO MR. LAWLER. CARROLL IS HER THERAPIST. ENCOURAGED HER TO GO APOLOGIZE TO HER TEACHER. SHE AND THE TEACH HERTA BORDERLINE SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP. THEY WERE CLOSE. SHE WAS AT HIS HOUSE. SHE WAS IN HIS BED. NOTHING HAPPENED, BUT THEY ARE EPISCOPALS URGED HER TO APOLOGIZE TO THE TEACHER. WHO IS THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY? WHAT ARE WE TEACHING GIRLS. CUTTING -- THREE PAGES -- ONE IN A WHILE WHEN MEMORY INTRUDES, I ENJOY A GOOD DEEP SHAVE, OH, COME ON, I NEVER SAID I WAS PERFECT. WHAT ARE WE TEACHING GIRLS.

049THE FATHER IN THE BOOK IS CONSIDERED TO BE A VICTIM. HE GOES TO GET THERAPY. THAT'S IT. WHERE IS THE JUSTICE AND WHAT ARE WE TEACHING THE GIRLS THAT READ THIS BOOK. SUICIDAL IDEALIATION. SAYS SUICIDE SOUNDS BETTER AND BETTER. YOU HAVE GOT TO GET IT RIGHT SAYS HER ALTER EGO, IN DO IT RIGHT. DYING SEEMS LIKE MY ONLY MEANS OF ESCAPE. OH, I HAVE SO MUCH MORE. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD AFTERNOON, DEBBY HUNT. I AM A HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY RESIDENT AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY CITIZENS DEPENDING FREEDOM. HILLSBOROUGH CITIZENS DEFENDING FREEDOM. WE ARE OUT TO PROTECT ALL CHILDREN. THERE IS NOT ANY DISCRIMINATION BY CHILD OR BY PARENT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK IS SO CLEAR IS THAT PORNOGRAPHY, YOU KNOW IT. YOU KNOW IT WHEN YOU SEE IT.

050YOU KNOW IT WHEN YOU HEAR IT. YOU KNOW IT WHEN YOU READ IT. SO WHY ARE YOU NOT PAYING ATTENTION? THE PREVIOUS NUMBER TEST THAT EVERYBODY KEEPS QUOTING THAT REQUIRES THE WHOLE BOOK TO BE READ AND REQUIRED -- HAD OTHER COMMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. HOUSE BILL 10-69. THE LEGISLATURE REMOVED THE MILLER TEST AND STATE LAW AND PUT LONG IN 100628. THAT SAY IT IS THE BOOK HAS PORNOGRAPHIC, OBSCENE, OTHERWISE LANGUAGE IN IT, IT NEEDS TO BE REMOVED IMMEDIATELY. AND THE BOARD OF EDUCATION WAS VERY CLEAR IN STATING THAT A BOOK DOES NOT HAVE TO BE READ IN ITS ENTIRETY. FLORIDA STATUTE 100628 SAYS ANY MATERIAL USEDED IN A CLASSROOM MADE AVAILABLE IN A SCHOOL OR CLASSROOM LIBRARY OR INCLUDED IN A READING LIST SHALL NOT CONTAIN "SHALL" NOT "SHOULD" BUT "SHALL" SHOULD NOT CON THANE

051CONTENT THAT IS PORNOGRAPHIC AND DEPICTS SEXUAL CONTENT -- CONDUCT. IS NOT SUITED TO CHILDREN'S NEED, AND THEIR ABILITY TO COMPREHEND THE MATERIAL PRESENTED AND MANY OF US HAVE SPOKEN IN THE PAST OF THE AGE THAT A FRONTAL LOBE DEVELOPS ON A CHILD IS NOT UNTIL 25. AND IT IS A IT IS INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE GRADE LEVEL AND AGE GROUP FOR WHICH THE MATERIAL IS USED. PROHIBITED SEXUAL CONDUCT UNDER FLORIDA STATUTE 847, THE DEFINITION 19 IS ACTUALLY -- ACTUAL OR SIMULATED SEXUALER. COURSE AND GOES THROUGH A HOST SERIES OF DEFINITIONS. IF YOU GO THROUGH EITHER ONE OF THOSE BOOKS, THOSE THINGS COME UP IN THOSE BOOKS. THE BOOKS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN READ IN THEIR ENTIRELY BY THE COMMITTEE. AND THEY SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY CLASSIFIED AS TO BE REMOVED. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ALSO REQUIRED THAT

052A STATEMENT BE PUT ON FOR REVIEWERS THAT SAYS, I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THE ABOVE STATEMENT OF FLORIDA LAW. I UNDERSTAND THAT MATERIAL CONTAINING ANY AMOUNT OF PORNOGRAPHY OR SEXUAL CONDUCT AS DEFINED BY LAW IS PRO-PROHIBITED FROM ALL SCHOOL OR CLASSROOM LIBRARIES. AND THEY AGREE AND SIGN SAYING THEY UNDERSTAND THAT. IT IS CLEAR THAT IS NOT THE CASE. I KNOW THAT THERE ARE ATTORNEYS IN OTHER COUNTIES THAT HAVE STATED -- Karen Perez: THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT. MY NAME IS ELICE BROWNELL. A HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY RESIDENT AND I HAVE A DAUGHTER WHO IS IN KINDERGARTEN. EARLIER, A SPEAKER BEFORE ME SAID SHE FOUND THESE BOOKS TO FAMILIARIZE HERSELF WITH FOR THIS MEETING IN THE PUBLIC LIBRARY. SO THE FACT IS, WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR THEM TO BE BANNED OR SE

053OR CENSORED YOU CAN STILL GET THEM AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY. THEY ARE ACCESSIBLE. THE TRUTH IS WHILE THEY ARE IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL'S LIBRARIES. IT IS UNLAWFUL. WE WANT THE LAW TO BE UPHELD AS PARENTS AND THEN FURTHER DISCUSS IF THE LAW NEEDS TO BE CHANGED. THE LAW IS THE LAW. THANK YOU. Karen Perez: NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD AFTERNOON. DAMRIS ALLEN. A GRADUATE OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND A PARENT OF TWO GRADUATES OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I AM PARENT OF ARGUABLY THE YOUNGEST STUDENT IN PLANT HIGH SCHOOL. AND A PLANT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE AND PLANT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE THAT HAD A CHILD ENTER BEFORE HE EVEN TURNED 13, I WILL SAY I AM COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE HAVING "BLANKETS" IN THE LIBRARY. YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE I PAY ATTENTION. I KNOW THAT THE WORK OF PARENT

054SOMETHING KNOWING WHAT MY KIDS READ. KNOWING WHAT MY KIDS ARE EXPOSED TO AND PREPARING THEM TO MAKE WISE AND INFORMED DECISIONS. THIS IS HOW WE PREPARE THEM FOR LIFE, BY TEACHING THEM OUR VALUES AS PARENTS AND AS A FAMILY AND EQUIPPING THEM WITH THE TOOLS NECESSARY TO MAKE THEIR DECISIONS ON THEIR OWN. IT IS ALSO THE SAME REASON I AM COMFORTABLE SENDING MY CHILD ACROSS THE COUNTRY AT AGE 16 TO IF TO COLLEGE, BECAUSE I KNOW HE IS GOING TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS BECAUSE HE PRACTICED THOSE WITHIN THE SAFETY OF OUR OWN HOME. ALSO, YOU ARE -- YOU -- IF YOU REMOVE THESE BOOK FOR SOME STUDENTS, YOU ABSOLUTELY BANNING THEM. TO SAY ANYTHING DIFFERENT KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT THE DEMOCRAT GRAPHICS OF OUR COUNTY. 60% ON FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH. 14% OF STUDENTS ARE FOOD

055UNIS HE CARE. 1% OF KIDS IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUB LIKE SCHOOLS ARE UNHOUSED. HOW EXACTLY ARE THE PARENTS SUPPOSED TO PRY OR THESE PURCHASING A CAR, GETTING TO A LIBRARY AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME. BUYING A BOOK. THEY ARE JUST FOCUSED ON SURVIVAL. SOME WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT IS IMPORTANT. FINALLY IS A STUDENT IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, I COULD HAVE USED SOME OF THESE BOOKS. WHEN I WAS IN JUNIOR HIGH -- BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT IT WAS, ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS, HER DAD WAS A REPEATEDLY SEXUALLY ABUSING HER. AND SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. SHE TOLD HER FRIENDS. AND WHAT I KNEW AS A KID WAS TO TELL SOMEONE ELSE. SO I DID. I TOLD MY SCHOOL COUNSELOR. AND THEN MY -- MY BEST FRIEND ATTEMPTED TO COMMIT SUICIDE BECAUSE

056SHE WAS SO TERRIFIED BY WHAT HER FATHER WOULD DO. AND SHE WAS STUCK IN THAT SITUATION. AND SHE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE IT. AS A 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL, I ALSO DID NOT KNOW HOW TO HANDLE IT. THANKFULLY I WAS SURROUND BY PEOPLE I COULD GO TO, BUT LET ME TELL YOU, I WOULD HAVE REALLY APPRECIATED TO BE ABLE TO READ ABOUT IT AS WELL. THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU, NEXT SPEA SPEAKER. GOOD AFTERNOON, MY NAME IS PETER HORSEMAN. I AM A MEMBER OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT WE ARE CONSTANTLY COMING BACK HERE TO DISCUSS THE BANNING OF BOOKS, PARTICULARLY ON THESE TWO BOOKS THAT ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARIES. PREVIOUS BANS HAVE BEEN ALL ABOUT CONTENT THAT WAS TOO ADULT FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL OR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS. THE TWO BOOKS TODAY INVOLVE

057EXPERIENCES OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, ONE OF WHICH IS AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL. "IDENTICAL" TELLS A VERY DISTURBING STORY BUT ONE THAT IS OBVIOUSLY ALL TOO REAL. I WOULD DARE KAY AT LEAST A DOZEN STUDENTS THOUGHT OUR COUNTY THAT IS EXPERIENCING FORCED INCEST AT THE HAND OF A PARENT OR OLDER RELATIVE AS WE SPEAK. AND HOPE THAT THOSE EXPERIENCING THAT KNOW THEY ARE NOT ALONE CANNED SEEK HELP. STAND FOR ALL THE PARENTS WHO HAVE SPOKEN TODAY SAYING THAT ONE OR TWO PARENTS SHOULD NOT DICTATE WHAT HAD THE REST OF THE PARENTS' CHILDREN SHOULD READ. THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. HI, MY NAME IS MARA AND A LIFE-LONG RESIDENT OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, CITY OF TAMPA. AND WE ARE A CONSTITUTIONAL REPU REPUBLIC. WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES THAT MAKE LAWS FOR US. THOSE LAWS WERE MADE AND THE BOARD

058NEEDS TO UPHOLD THESE LAWS. AND WE NEED TO FOLLOW THE LAW. THAT IS YOUR OATH OF OFFICE. AS ELECTED OFFICIALS TO FOLLOW THE LAW. AND THESE BOOKS ARE HURTING CHILDREN. CHILDREN ARE LOSING THEIR INNOCENCE READING THESE BOOKS. THEY DON'T BELONG IN OUR SCHOOL LIBRARIES. THE MAJORITY OF PARENTS DON'T EVEN THOUGH THESE BOOKS EXIST. AND THEY NEED TO BE REMOVED FROM OUR SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND THEY NEED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC LIBRARY. IF A PARENT REALLY WANTS THEIR CHILD TO READ THESE BOOKS AND TOP KNOW ABOUT THE SUBJECTS, THEY CAN GET THESE BOOKS FOR THEIR CHILDREN. BUT THE MAJORITY OF OF OF PARENTS IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM DO NOT EVEN THOUGH THEY EXIST. AND THE REASON THEY FOUND OUT THEY EXIST IS BECAUSE OF COVID. BECAUSE PARENTS STARTED SEEING WHAT THEIR CHILDREN WERE ACTUALLY LEARNING. HILLSBOROUGH

059COUNTY NEEDS TO HAVE BETTER READING, WRITING AND ARITHMETIC. WE DON'T EVEN TEACH CURSIVE ANYMORE. HOW WILL OUR CHILDREN WILL BE ABLE TO READ OUR FOUNDING DOCUMENTS IF THEY CAN NOT READ CURSIVE. THEY CAN NOT WRITE CURSIVE. SO WE NEED MORE ACADEMICS AND LESS SOCIAL ENGINEERING LEARNING IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. CIVICS. GEOGRAPHY. ALL THESE SUBJECTS WERE AROUND WHEN I WENT TO SCHOOL. I AM 69 YEARS OLD. I HAVE SIX GRANDCHILDREN. ONE -- THE LITTLEST ONE IS STILL IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. AND MY DAUGHTER SAYS THAT IF THINGS DON'T CHANGE, SHE IS GOING TO TAKE THEM OUT. AND THE OTHER THING -- A LOT OF PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT LBGTQ AND THIS AND THAT. THERE IS A GROUP CALLED GAYS AGAINST GROOMERS THAT ARE NOT APPROVING OF THESE BOOKS AND OUR CHILDREN READING THEM. SO WE NEED

060TO REALLY CONSIDER WHAT IS GOING ON AND YOU NEED TO UPHOLD THE LAW OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND OUR CONSTITUTION. THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE. GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE, ANY NAME IS JORDAN ROUX. I LIVED IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY MY ENTIRE LIFE. I AM THE PRODUCT OF CHILD ABUSE. I SIT HERE IN FRONT OF YOU HAVING SPENT THE LAST $5 THAT I HAD AVAILABLE TO ME TO PAY FOR TODAY'S PARKING. THIS DID NOT MATTER, BUY NOT BE HERE. I WANT TO EXTEND MY DEEPEST GRANT DUDE FOR THE AVAILABILITY TO UNDERSTAND THAT LITERATURE DOESN'T HURT PEOPLE. YOU CAN USE WORDS TO HURT PEOPLE. THEY HAVE AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF POWER AND I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, BUT AS SOMEONE WHO RECEIVED FREE LUNCH FROM HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. I WAS IN ESE STUDENT AND ABUSED CONSTANTLY AS

061A QUEER CHILD NOT JUST BY MY PIERCE BUT MY PARENTS WHO AT THE TIME HAD MENTAL HEALTH ILLNESSES THEY DIDN'T KNOW AND STRUGGLED TO OVERCOME. REAL THINGS HAPPEN AND REAL LIFE IS REAL LIFE. IF WE DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO OUR HISTORY, WE WILL NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO MOVE FORWARD BECAUSE WHEN WE CHALLENGE OLD TRADITIONS, THAT NEW TRADITIONS IS FORMED. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS THE KIND OF CONVERSATION THAT WE FEEL TO BE SO NECESSARY WHEN THERE ARE ALWAYS BAD ACTORS FOR EVERY GROUP. YES, THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT LIKE MY PARENTS WERE APPEAR TOUCH MISGUIDED AND GROOMING IS A BUZZWORD BUT REAL KNOWLEDGE IS HOW TO USE IT AND INTELLIGENCE TO TAKE INFORMATION AND CREATE ACTION UPON IT TO CREATE GOOD. I AM THE MEMBER OF THE IOTSI STAGE MECHANICS UNION 477 RIGHT HERE

062IN TAMPA. I AM ONE OF TWO GAY PEOPLE THAT WORK BEHIND THE CAMERA, AND I STRUGGLE EVERY SINGLE DAY TO BE VISIBLE NOT ONLY FOR MY COMMUNITY BUT TO CREATE MEDIA AND CONTENT LIKE THESE BOOKS THAT HELP PEOPLE FEEL LESS AFRAID, LESS SMALL AND LESS ALONE. I WASN'T ALLOWED TO GO OUTSIDE OF MY HOUSE BECAUSE MY BIPOLAR SCHIZOPHRENIC MOTHER WANTED ME TO BE INSIDE TO HAVE SOMEONE IN HER LIFE AS MISERABLE AS SHE WAS. HOW A CHILD WILL GROW AND LOOK AT ME AND UNDERSTAND IT IS POSSIBLE. ESPECIALLY WITH KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION LIKE THIS. ONCE AGAIN, I EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE AND I WANT US TO THINK CRITICALLY MOVING FORWARD. THIS WORK IS NOT DONE. IN THIS COUNTY, MY NIECES 8 AND 13 WERE HELD AT GUNPOINT AT THEIR OWN BUS STOP. THIS BOARD NOR LOCAL

063LAW ENFORCEMENT DID ANYTHING. THERE IS SO MUCH MORE WORK TO DO TO UNDERSTAND HOW REAL THIS WORLD IS. YES THERE ARE DANGERS. IF WE ARE AWARE OF THEM, EDUCATE OURSELVES AND OTHERS, THAT WE HAVE A MORAL OBLIGATION TO DO SO. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. I THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THE CHANGE AND ACKNOWLEDGING WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS TO SAY, YES, ON BOTH SIDES, AND RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS MORE TO GO. MORE TO DO. THAT PEOPLE ARE HUMANS AND THAT THIS ISN'T -- THIS IS ISN'T AS BAD AS IT LOOKS. THIS IS NOT US TRYING TO BE EVIL, DEMEANING OR INFRINGING ON JUSTICE. WE ARE PEOPLE BE WHO WANT TO LIVE OUR LIVES AND NOT LIVER ALONE. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. NEXT SPEAKER. GOOD AFTERNOON. EXCUSE ME -- GOOD AFTERNOON. MY

064NAME IS MELANIE LAX. I LIVED IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FOR ALMOST 24 YEARS. BOTH OF MY SONS ARE GRADUATES OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I WANTED TO NAH THE BOARD TODAY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ABOUT THE BOOK. AND TO THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK TO GET TO THIS POINT, TO STAY ON TRACK WITH THE PROCESS. I KNOW YOU ARE UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE SOMETIMES TO TOSS THE PROCESS OUT, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU FOLLOWING IT AND I ASK YOU TODAY TO PLEASE SUPPORT THE DECISIONS OF THE PREVIOUS TWO REVIEWS AND KEEP THESE BOOKS IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS. THEY DO NOT VIOLATE STATE LAW. THEY ARE NOT HARMFUL TO MINORS. THEY ARE NOT PURIENT. THEY HAVE CONSIDERABLE LITERACY AND ARTISTIC MERIT. AND THERE IS CLEARLY NOT A COMMUNITY STANDARD THEY VIOLATE THAT THE

065ENTIRE COMMUNITY CAN AGREE UPON, BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE TODAY, THERE IS A LOT OF DISSENT ON THAT. I WOULD POINT OUT THAT PEOPLE ARE HAVING TROUBLE DEFINING CHOREOGRAPHY. IT IS HARD TO DEFINE. BUT THESE BOOKS DO NOT GLAMORIZE DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIORS. THEY PRESENT THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE, A REACTION TO TRAUMA. STUDENTS HAVE THE AVAILABILITY OF BOOKS OF TRAUMA AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL ARE A GOOD THING. SOME OF THEM UNFORTUNATELY HAVE EXPERIENCE IT. WILL NOT TURN CHILDREN INTO ABUSERS. NOT GOING TO MAKE THEM SEX ADDICTS. IT GIVES THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE THEMSELVES OR TH THEIR PEERS WHO MAY BE STRUGGLING. THERE ARE A LOT OF BEHAVIORS IN THESE BOOKS THAT ARE NOT OUTSIDE MOST STUDENTS' EXPERIENCES. BULLYING, ALIENATION, ISOLATION. THEY ARE WELL-WRITTEN BOOKS. WORTH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS' ABILITY TO READ. I DON'T DISAGREE WITH

066ANY PARENT WHO DOES NOT WANT THEIR CHILD TO READ THEM. THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO FEEL THAT WAY AND THE ABILITY TO TELL THEIR SCHOOL LIBRARIES, NO, MY CHILDREN MAY NOT TAKE THESE OUT. SOME THERE IS SO REASON TO DENY ALL PARENTS THE FLEE COME TO MAKE THE DECISIONS FOR THEIR OWN CHILDREN. I APPRECIATE YOUR HARD WORK AND ASK YOU TO SUPPORT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE PEOPLE THAT WORK WITH THE STUDENTS IN THE SCHOOLS, WHO ARE EXPERTS IN SUBJECT MATTER AND KNOW THE STUDENT BODIES THEY ARE WORKING FOR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Karen Perez: THANK YOU. SEEING NO FURTHER COMMENT, THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WILL NOW BE HEARD. -1.01 AND C-1.70 2. MR. PORTER WILL GO OVER THE PROCEDURES FOR THE SPECIAL BOARD MEETING. Jim Porter: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBERS. TODAY YOU ARE

067SITTING IN AN APPELLATE CAPACITY. YOUR JOB IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN REGULAR BOARD MEETINGS WHEN YOU ARE REACTING TO RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT. YOU ARE HERE TO SPECIFICALLY HEAR TWO APPEALS. THEY WILL BE HANDLED SEPARATELY OF TWO SPECIFIC BOOKS OF TWO SCHOOLS. THE PROCESS IS CRITICAL. A PROCESS-DRIVEN MEETING TODAY. THE PROCESS WAS CREATED THROUGH A TEMPLATES THROUGH THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND YOUR STAFF CREATED IT. YOU NEED TO FOLLOW THE PROCESS TODAY IN FLORIDA STATUTE OUT OF AS WHICH GOVERN YOUR DECISION MAKING TODAY. AGAIN, THERE ARE BE TWO SEPARATE VOTES. YOU WILL LOOK AT THE RECORD OF THE LOWER BOARDS. SO THERE IS A SCHOOL-BASED BOARD THAT REVIEWED THE OBJECTION. THEY FOUND THE BOOK SHOULD STAY ON THE SHELVES. THAT THEN WAS APPEALED TO THE DISTRICT LEVEL. THAT BOARD ALSO FOUND -- OR THAT

068COMMITTEE ALSO FOUND THAT THE BOOKS SHOULD STAY ON THE SHELVES. YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE RECORD OF THOSE TWO LOWER BODIES. WHY DECISION IS COMPLETELY YOUR DECISION. YOU MUST BASE IT ON THE RECORD. AND YOU MUST BASE IT ON FLORIDA LAW, BUT IT IS YOUR DECISION. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO UPHOLD THE LOWER DECISION WHICH IS MEANS THE BOOKS STAY ON THE SHELF. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE A MOTION TO REMOVE THE BOOKS. AND THAT MEANS THE BOOKS FOR THOSE SCHOOLS WILL BE REMOVED. IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION OR YOU WANT FURTHER REVIEW, YOU HAVE THE POWER TO WHAT'S CALLED REMAND IT BACK TO THE LOWER BOARD WHICH DIRECTIONS THAT THEY LOOK AT MORE SPECIFIC THINGS WEREN'T CONSIDERED THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO YOUR DECISION MAKING. IT IS A COMPLEX

069LEGALLY-DRIVEN PROS, PROCESS-DRIVEN MEETING TODAY. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MR. GIBSON TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LOWER LEVELS. THERE WILL BE THE NEED TO HAVE A MOTION ON EACH INDIVIDUAL ITEM. THIS IS NOT A NORMAL SITUATION, AGAIN, WHERE YOU ARE REACTING TO THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATION. THAT'S NOT HAPPENING TODAY. YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE PREVIEW OF -- YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE TWO LOWER BODIES AND COMING UP WITH A MOTION BASED ON WHAT YOU FEEL SHOULD HAPPEN. GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR, JEFF GIBSON HERE, MECHANICS OF THE BOARD. I AM GOING TO GO OVER REAL BRIEFLY WHAT HAPPENED SORT OF FACTUALLY SO YOU HAVE THE FACTUAL BACKGROUND OF WHAT THE BINDERS YOU HAD SPECIFICALLY WITH "BLANKETS." DISTRICT RECEIVED AN OBJECTION ON THE STATE-APPROVED OBJECTION FORM AUGUST 28, 2023. WE THEN

070ACKNOWLEDGED REIPT OF THAT EXEMPTION, THE EEMC, THE EDUCATION MATERIALS COMMITTEE THAT THE DISTRICT FORMS IN EACH INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR MET ON SEPTEMBER 18, 2023. THAT COMMITTEE WAS PROVIDED THE BOOK "BLANKETS." THE HCPS LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES FOR THE SELECTION OF MATERIALS. THOSE ARE THE MATERIALS THAT ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE. THEY ARE PROVIDED PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS OF THE BOOK "BLANKETS." PROVIDED THE LIBRARY MEDIA DOCUMENT THAT IS TO CREATE MEDIA SPECIALIST AND THE COMMITTEE. PROVIDED CHECKLIST FOR EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS COMMITTEE AND PROVIDE IS HCPS AFTER THE OBJECTION FORM OF THE OBJECTOR. ALL OF THOSE ITEMS ARE IN TAB B I THINKS IN THE MATERIALS YOU ARE PROVIDED. AS I SAID, THAT COMMITTEE MET ON SEPTEMBER 18 OF 2023 THEY AFTER A DISCUSSION VOTED TO KEEP BOOK IN THE MEDIA CENTER. THE COMPLAINANT APPEALED

071THAT POSITION ON SEPTEMBER 22 LEADING TO THE CREATION -- OR THE MEETING OF THE DISTRICT REVIEW COMMITTEE. THAT COMMITTEE MET ON NOVEMBER 14 OF 2023. THEY WERE PROVIDED ALL OF THE MATERIALS THAT THE SCHOOL-BASED COMMITTEE HAD. AND IN ADDITION, THEY WERE PROVIDED THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE SCHOOL BASED COMMITTEE AND THE FINAL REPORT OF THE SCHOOL BASED COMMITTEE. THEY MET, LIKE I SAID OR NOVEMBER 14 ALREADY AND THEY VOTED TO MAINTAIN THE MATERIAL IN THE -- IN THE MEDIA CENTER. THE -- THE APPEAL DECISION WAS ISSUED ON DECEMBER 1. AND THEN WE RECEIVED THE APPEAL OF THAT DECISION ON DECEMBER 21. WE PREPARED IN YOUR PACKET EVERYTHING THE SCHOOL-BASED COMMUNITY SAW. EVERYTHING THE DISTRICT COMMITTEE SAW. AND THEN YOU ALSO HAVE THE MINUTES FROM THE DISTRICT COMMITTEE AND THE FINAL DECISION OF THE

072DISTRICT COMMITTEE AND THAT MAKES UP THE RECORD THAT'S IN YOUR PACKET. SO AS MR. PORTER SAYS, THE PROCESS DEVELOPED REQUIRES THE FORWARD EITHER APPROVE, OVERTURN OR REMAND. AND THAT IS WHAT WE ASK THIS BOARD TO DO TODAY. PORTE COCHERE SPORES MADAM CHAIR, BECAUSE THIS IS A LITTLE UNUSUAL, I WILL STEP IN MORE THAN I WOULD NORMALLY WOULD. IT WILL BE IMPORTANT TO DISCUSS A MOTION ON THE FLOOR. THE MOTION MAY BE CHANGED OR NOT VOTED ON, BUT IN ORDER TO BEGIN DISCUSSION. THE MOTION WOULD BE TO EITHER UPHOLD THE LOWER TRIBUNALS, OVERTURN THEM OR REMAND IT BACK. AGAIN, I WOULD ANTICIPATE DISCUSSION, BUT BETTER TO HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO START. Karen Perez: SO I -- I NEED A MOTION. EITHER TO APPROVE, OVERTURN OR REMAND. LYNN, WHAT IS YOUR MOTION? Jim Porter:

073THIS IS -- THIS IS JUST FOR THE BOOK "BLANKETS" AT THIS POINT. Lynn Gray: TO UPHOLD. Jim Porter: YOU NEED A SECOND. Karen Perez: I HAVE A MOTION BY MEMBER GRAY TO UPHOLD AND A SECOND BY MEMBER COMBS. Jim Porter: FOR "BLANKETS. Karen Perez: PLEASE VOTE -- Jim Porter: WE CAN HAVE DISCUSSION. Karen Perez: OH, DISCUSSION. ANY DISCUSSION? NO DISCUSSION? SEEING NO DISCUSSION? MEMBER RENDON. Patti Rendon: GOOD MORNING, AND THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I SPENT GREAT TIME INTO LOOKING INTO THIS ISSUE. NUMBER ONE, I LOOKED AT THE VALIDITY OF THE RIGHT TO MAKE THIS DE. AND I LOOKED AT TWO VERY IMPORTANT SUPREME COURT CASES RECORDING THAT, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION PICO AND SECOND ONE BEING THE STATE OF -- TINKER AND THE DEMOIST SCHOOL DISTRICT. BOTH CASES ALTHOUGH NOT A DECISION THAT WAS MADE

074ON WHETHER OR NOT SOMETHING SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT BE REMOVED, THERE WAS STILL SOME VERY IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WERE MADE AND RAMIFICATION FROM THAT AND POINTS THAT WERE VERY IMPORTANT TO BRING UP. AS A SCHOOL DISTRICT, WE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF ALL STUDENTS. NUMBER ONE, THIS DECISION, ALTHOUGH IT WASN'T A DECISION THAT GARNERED AN OPINION, IT DID STATE THAT ALL STUDENTS DO -- DO NOT REMAND THEIR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS WHEN WALK THROUGH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. MADE THAT VERY CLEAR; HOWEVER, IT DID PULL BACK AND SAY ALTHOUGH WE ARE NOT REMOVING STUDENTS' FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS WHEN THEY WALK IN A SCHOOL DISTRICT, THE SCHOOL BOARD DOES HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL REGULATORY ROLE IN DETERMINING THE CONTENT AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT EXERCISE A PARTNERSHIP OR DISCRIMINATORY MANNER. THAT IS THE

075KEY FACTOR HERE. WE ARE NOT MAKING THE DECISION BASE AND MERGE OPINION, BASED ON POLITICAL VIEWS, BASED ON ANYTHING ELSE. THIS DECISION WE MUST MAKE BASED ON STATE LAW AND BASED ON THINGS HAVE COME TOLL OUR ATTENTION BASED ON THE CONTENT OF THE MATERIAL. ALSO, IT DOES REMAND IT HERE IN PART OF IS DECISION -- NOT DECISION BUT PART OF ITS OPINION IS THAT THE REASON FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE BOOKS IS SUBSTANTIAL VULGAR OR OBSCENITY. I THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT HERE. BECAUSE I HEARD IT READ MULTIPLE TIMES WHEN I HEAR IT TALKED ABOUT "BLANKETS" OR THE OTHER BOOK. THE FACT THAT YOU CAN SEE YOURSELF IN THE BOOK. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT A TOPIC AND YOU GO INTO GRAVE DETAIL ABOUT A TOPIC. WE ALL KNOW WE WANT TO

076SEE OURSELVES WHETHER IT IS FOR SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL REASONS OR FOR ITS BACKGROUNDS OR FOR ANYTHING THAT WE WANT TO SEE OURSELVES AND THINGS THAT WE SEE, PLACES WE GO. AND THESE RULINGS DON'T TAKE AWAY FROM THAT BUT IT IS THE TYPE OF CONTENT. I REFER BACK ALSO TO OUR VIDEO GAMES AND OUR MOVIES AND OUR THEATRES IN WHICH WE DO CURRENTLY RATE CERTAIN THINGS AND GIVE IT A CONTENT OVERALL SO WHEN I, AS A PARENT, DECIDE IF MY CHILD IS GOING TO GO SEE A MOVIE OR GO TO WATCH A VIDEO GAME, IT GIVES ME AN INDICATION WHAT THAT WILL BE. FOR EXAMPLE, IN THAT SAME INDICATION, IT IS SAID, NUDITY, FOR EXAMPLE. YOU CAN HAVE NUDITY IN A PG 13 OR NUDITY IN A RATED R. THE DIFFERENCE IN THE CONTENT BETWEEN THE TWO.

077THE SUBJECT IS IN BOTH, BUT THE VARIATION OF CONTENT THAT CHANGES THE AGE APPROPRIATENESS OF THAT MATERIAL. IF IT IS PG 13, IT IS BASIC SCENE OF A NUDITY, OF A NUDE PERSON. WE GO CONTINUE TO RATE IT BE R, THE MEDIA'S CONTENT WITH SEXUALITY AND CHANGES WHAT THE MEDIA IS GOING TO PORTRAY. DOESN'T CHANGE WE HAVE NUDITY IN BOTH BUT THAT THE CONTENT OF THE NUDITY CHANGES AND I WANT TO MAKE THAT VERY CLEAR BECAUSE I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THAT STUDENTS DO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A RACE FOR WHERE THEY COME FROM. BUT ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS THE WAY IN WHICH WE CAN PORTRAY IT. THE WAY IN WHICH WE CAN BRING THAT SUBJECT TO LIGHT. AND I THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT WHEN WE LOOK AT THE DECISIONS THAT

078ARE MADE. IT IS ALSO VERY INTENT ON THE LAW AND THE WAY THE LAW IS WRITTEN. I THINK THAT IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT. SO AFTER RECOGNIZING MY ROLE IN MANAGING THAT DECISION, IN REVIEWING WHAT WE AS A SOCIETY LOOK AT AS ACCEPTABLE FOR AGE-APPROPRIATE MATERIAL, THAT BRINGS ME BACK BECAUSE -- BECAUSE IT WAS VERY CRITICAL IN THE LAW, THE "AGE-APPROPRIATE MATERIAL." ONLY ONE PLACE IN WHICH WE HAVE THAT DETERMINED BY LAW -- I AM SORRY, NOT BY LAW, BUT WE HAVE A SOCIETY WHERE WE ACCEPT THAT, AND THAT IS OUR RATINGS OF OUR MOVIES AND OUR VIDEO GAME CONTENT. I THINK THAT IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT. LASTLY, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE AS 30 YEARS OF BEING A SOCIAL WORKER. ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND WANTING TO RECOGNIZE SOMEONE IN A BOOK AND RECOGNIZE AN

079EXPERIENCE IN A BOOK, I ALSO RECOGNIZE TRAUMA. AND TRAM MALL-INDUCED CARE, AND MAKING SURE WE DON'T BRING UP MATERIAL OR OFFER MATERIAL WITHOUT BRINGING AROUND A CIRCLE OF SUPPORT FOR THAT CHILD THAT HAS HAD TRAUMA. IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SEE THAT -- I WILL GET BACK IN THE QUEUE. Karen Perez: THANK YOU, MEMBER RENDON. MEMBER GRAY IN. Lynn Gray: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AND I WANT TO THANK THE SPEAKERS. A LOT OF COURAGE AND COMMITMENT TO THE WELL BEING OF OUR STUDENTS. AND I -- I DO NOT DOUBT YOUR MOTIVES. YOU CARE FOR WELL BEING. AS AN INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER WHICH I CAN SPEND MY TIME. I HAVE FOUR TENETS WHEN I MAKE A DECISION SUCH AS THIS. VERY PRAGMATIC AND I WON'T GET INTO THE TRAUMA-BASED TEACHING WHICH

080I AM A VERY BIG PROPONENT OF AND GROOMING AND ALL THE AFFECT OF WORDS THAT GO WITH HUMAN TRAFFICKING. I NOTICED HERE TO THE EDUCATIONAL VALUE. I MUST ALSO SEE THAT IT IS GRADE LEVEL APPROPRIATE. I MUST FOLLOW THE FLORIDA STATUTE UCHTS BY LAW. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, MOST IMPORTANTLY DO WHAT IS BEST FOR THE WELFARE OF ALL STUDENTS. WITH THAT BEING SAID, WHEN I LOOK AT THE ANALYSIS WHICH IS REMARKABLY PLAIN AND SIMPLE IN EACH OF THESE BOOKS, BUT I KNOW I AM ONLY SPEAKING FOR ONE RIGHT NOW, I LOOKED AT THE ANALYSIS ONE. AND WHEN I READ IT TO YOU, YOU WILL SEE HOW IT FITS UNDER ALL FOUR OF THE -- OF MY -- WHAT I FEEL IS CRITICAL TO THIS DECISION. IF YOU LOOK AT THE EDUCATIONAL VALUE, IF YOU LOOK AT

081ANALYSIS 3. AND I WILL JUST READ THE SENTENCE. THE ANALYSIS 3 WHICH -- OUR ATTORNEY AND OUR EDUCATIONAL MEDIA MATERIAL COMMITTEE HAS SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON DELIVERING AND DELIBERATING. IT ASKS, IS THE MATERIAL NOT SUITED TO STUDENT NEEDS AND THE ABILITY TO COMPREHEND THE MATERIAL PRESENTED. SO MY ANSWER IS, YES, IT HAS. IT IS SUITED TO STUDENT NEEDS. TO ALL STUDENTS' NEEDS. MAYBE NOT ONE SECTION, BUT FOR THE WELFARE OF ALL STUDENTS IS WHAT I AM LOOKING AT. ANALYSIS OF THE OTHER -- SECOND ONE, EXCUSE ME. THE GRADE LEVEL APPROPRIATENESS MATCHES WITH ANALYSIS FOR. AND ANALYSIS FOR. AS -- THE MATERIAL INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE GRADE LEVEL AND AGE GROUP OF WHICH THE MATERIAL IS MADE AVAILABLE, WHICH IS MY CONCERN. AGE APPROPRIATENESS. AND I FIND THAT IT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE GRADE LEVEL

082AND AGE GROUP FOR WHICH THIS MATERIAL IS AVAILABLE. MIND YOU, EDUCATIONAL SPECIALIST, MEDIA CENTER SPECIALIST WHO HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE AND YEARS AND YEARS OF TRAINING. AND I STAND BEHIND THEM AS FAR AS THEIR EXPERTISE. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, AND THIS GOESES TO OUR ATTORNEY, JEFF GIBSON, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE LAW WHICH IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT, OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THE LAW. SO THE THIRD PART OF MY DECISION IS BASED ON THE FLORIDA STATUTE. AND THIS COMES DOWN TO ANALYSIS ONE AND TWO. FLORIDA STATUTE 1.0004 BE 2.3. 1003.4.6. 1.03. 4. 103.3. 887.001 WHICH MANY OF US MEMORIZED. SECTION 2, 7 AND 19. I AM NOT A LAWYER. BY PROBABLY DID NOT READ THOSE EXACTLY AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN, BUT THE POINT IS, IT DOES FOLLOW THE. THERE STATUTES. AND LAST, WELFARE FOR

083ALL STUDENTS. THAT IS THE BIG ONE. WE WANT TO GO UNDER ONE UMBRELLA. IF YOU TALK ABOUT PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN. I FIND THAT THE ANALYSIS ON FOUR WILL ASK IF THE MATERIAL, IS IT INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE GRADE LEVEL OR AGE GROUP OR MORE IMPORTANTLY ANALYSIS THREE, IS THE MATERIAL SUITED TO STUDENT NEEDS. AND THEIR ABILITY TO COMPREHEND. IF WE DON'T GUIDE AND GUARD OUR CHILDREN TO BE ABLE TO READ BOOKS THAT PROTECT THEM FROM -- TO HELP THEM FEEL LESS AFRAID AND TO ALSO DIFFUSE MISCONCEPTIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE AND TO ALSO HELP THEM NAVIGATE THROUGH MANY -- MANY TIMES OF TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD AND OR A SCHOOL. I HAVE TO SAY THESE BOOKS IN MY MIND HELP THE MENTAL EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL CAPACITY WELL BEING. YES, SERVES FOR THE WELFARE OF ALL STUDENTS IN OUR MIND.

084THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. MEMBER HAHN. Stacy Hahn: THANK YOU, CHAIR PEREZ, LIKE MEMBER GRAY -- AND I WOULD IMAGINE ALL OF US USED THE FOUR ANALYSIS TO -- WHEN WE READ THESE BOOKS AND TO COME TO OUR DECISION. AND YOU KNOW, I WILL START AT THE SAME POINT THAT WAS JUST DISCUSSED. YOU KNOW ANALYSIS 4 IS MATERIALLY APPROPRIATE FOR AGE GROUP OF WHICH IT IS MADE AVAILABLE. AND MEMBER GRAY SAID THAT SHE -- WITH TOWARDS THAT ANALYSIS HAS CONFIDENCE IN THE BRILLIANCE OF THE MEDIA SPECIALIST AND OUR LIBRARIES TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS BECAUSE OF -- BECAUSE OF THEIR SCHOOLING AND TRAINING AND, ETC. BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK IN ANYTHING, THE PROCESS OF REVIEWING AND SELECTING MATERIALS FOR SCHOOL LIBRARY -- LIBRARIES CAN BE SUBJECTIVE. AND IT CAN BE PRONE TO

085OVERSIGHT AND BIASES EVEN WITH PEOPLE WITH DEGREES AND HAVE BEEN TRAINED. AND COMMITTEES RESPONSIBILITY FOR EVALUATING BOOKS MAY VARY IN THEIR CRITERIA AND INTERPRETATIONS OF WHAT CONSTITUTES APPROPRIATE CONTENT. AND THIS SUBJECTIVITY CAN RESULT IN THE INCLUSION OF MATERIALS THAT SOME MAY EVEN DEEM SEXUALLY EX-POLICE PIT. OTHERS DO NOT LEAD INING TO -- EXPLICIT AND OTHERS DO NOT LEADING TO IN OUR COMMUNITIES WHAT WE ARE SEEING TODAY AND IN OTHER BOARD MEETINGS. SOME FOR ME, I AM NOT -- I DON'T HAVE 1,000% CONFIDENCE AT EVERY LEVEL OF THIS PROCESS THAT THERE IS NOT SUBJECTIVITY AND -- AND BIAS IN THE OVERSIGHT. AND THAT IS WHERE THIS BOARD COMES IN. -- I DO ALSO -- IF YOU GO BACK TO THE ANALYSIS, YOU KNOW, ANALYSIS THREE. AND STUDENTS -- STUDENTS SEEING THEMSELVES IN THESE BOOKS AND NEEDING

086A DIVERSE RANGE OF LITERATURE. YOU KNOW, ABSOLUTELY. STUDENTS NEED TO SEE THEMSELVES IN BOOKS. THEY NEED TO READ ABOUT DIFFICULT THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN LI LIFER. BUT, YOU KNOW, I AM NOT OF THE BELIEF THAT THEY CAN'T READ AND LEARN ABOUT THOSE THINGS IN BOOKS THAT DON'T HAVE SUCH -- SUCH SEXUALLY EXPLICIT CONTENT. AND I TALKED ABOUT THAT BEFORE FROM THIS DAIS. YOU KNOW, THE -- THE AGE-APPROPRIATENESS THAT MEMBER RENDON TALKED ABOUT WITH MOVIES AND THE RATINGS WE USED FOR MOVIES AND -- AND HOW -- AND SOME OF THESE BOOKS HAVE MADE INTO A MOVIE WOULD NOT BE ALLOW TO IT BE SEEN BY MINORS. AND YET, BOOKS KIND OF GET A PASSES FROM THAT, ESPECIALLY IN SCHOOL LIBRARIES. YOU KNOW, SCHOOLS IN, IN MY OPINION, ARE HELD TO A VERY HIGH STANDARD WITH REGARD

087TO THE INFORMATION THAT WE SHARE. AND IT IS -- IT IS TRUE, KIDS HAVE ACCESS TO A LOT OF THINGS OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL THROUGH THEIR PHONES AND COMPUTERS, PORNOGRAPHY, DRUGS, WEAPONS, THINGS THAT YOU WOULD -- YOU KNOW, THOUGH IT IS ON THE STREETS AND THEY HAVE ACCESS, WE WOULD NEVER CONDONE IN A SCHOOL. SO I ASK WHY -- WHY DO WE CONDONE SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIALS IN OUR SCHOOLS? I DON'T. I DON'T SEE THAT AS BEING APPROPRIATE. AND THEN THE LAW. AGAIN. A LOT OF THIS IS VERY SUBJECTIVE. EVEN WHEN I READ THROUGH -- EVEN WHEN I READ THROUGH THE NOTES FROM THE COMMITTEES. I THINK, I FEEL I DON'T THINK. YOU KNOW, I FEEL THAT IT DOES BREAK THE LAW. I FEEL THAT IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE TO BE IN SCHOOLS. AND I DON'T THINK

088IT IS BANNING BOOKS AND I DON'T THINK PARENTS SHOULD HAVE TO POLICE EVERYTHING THAT THEIR CHILDREN HAVE INSIDE A SCHOOLHOUSE. WE DON'T EVEN HAVE WARNINGS ON THESE BOOKS. IF YOU WANT TO REALLY MAKE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR PARENTS TO MAKE A DECISION WHICH I THINK IS SOMETHING THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT SHOULD ADDRESS, BECAUSE THAT IS PART OF PROCEDURES WITH HIS STAFF SO I WOULD ASK HIM TO DO THAT. YOU KNOW, I -- I DON'T THINK IT IS AGE APPROPRIATE. I DON'T THINK THINK SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIALS SHOULD BE IN OUR SCHOOLS, BUT I WILL GET BACK IN THE QUEUE BECAUSE I AM RUNNING OUT OF TIME TO START MY NEXT TOPIC. Karen Perez: THANK YOU, MEMBER HAHN. MEMBER REN DONE. Patti Rendon: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AS I WAS STARTING TO SAY EARLIER, TRAUMA IS A

089KEY ELEMENT IN A LOT OF THIS, AND I HEARD IT SAID MULTIPLE TIMES HERE THAT I COULD HAVE SEEN MYSELF -- FIRST OF ALL, LET ME APOLOGIZE, AT THE END OF THE DAY, NOBODY WANTS TO SEE THEMSELVES IN THESE BOOKS. I AM SORRY THAT WAS ANYONE'S HISTORY AT ANY POINT IN TIME IN THEIR LIFE. THAT IS NOT WHAT ANY ONE WILDFIRE US WANT TO SEE FOR ANY OTHER MUSEUM BEING ON THIS PLANET. BUT WITH THAT BEING SAID, WE ALSO KNOW THAT MEMBERS OF THIS COMMUNITY AND MEMBERS OF ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES THAT GO THROUGH TRAUMA GO THROUGH IT DIFFERENTLY. THEY EXPERIENCE IT DIFFERENTLY. WE ALSO KNOW FROM HISTORY AND MY OWN EXPERIENCE AS A SOCIAL WORKER THAT MANY INDIVIDUALS THAT GO THROUGH EXTREME TRAUMA REACT DIFFERENTLY. NO ONE IS GOING TO REACT THE SAME. NO

090ONE WILL RESPOND THE SAME. AND WE DO ALSO KNOW THAT WHEN SOMEBODY DOES REVISIT THAT TRAUMA, SOMETHING TRIGGERS THAT. SO ALTHOUGH SOME PEOPLE SEE THEMSELVES IN THIS BOOK, OTHERS CAN BE TRIGGERED FROM THAT MAMA. NOT ALWAYS THE SAME, BUT GOES BACK TO THE FACT THAT WHERE A 16-YEAR-OLD, 17-YEAR-OLD, 14-YEAR-OLD BE ABLE TO AGE IN TRAUMA IF NOT HELPED FROM THAT TRAUMA BEFORE? WE CAN'T SAY THAT. WE CAN'T SAY IF THIS BOOK COULD OR COULD NOT BE HARMFUL TO A CHILD BASED ON THE SOLE FACT OF VISITING A TRAUMA. AND WE CANNOT SAY THAT. BUT I DO KNOW THAT MY JOB IS NOT TO HAVE AN OPINION ABOUT THIS, BUT MY JOB IS TO FOLLOW THE LAW. AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE LAW IS VERY CLEAR. DO WE REMOVE A BOOK IF ONE IS

091A PORNOGRAPHIC OR PROHIBITED UNDER STATE STATUTE 487.012? AND IN THAT SECTION, SUBSECTIONS B, ANY BOOK, PAMPHLET, MAGAZINE, PRINTING MATTER HOWEVER REPRODUCED OD OR SOUND RECORDING THAT CONTAINS ANY MATTER DEFINED IN 71.001 DEPICT AND DETAILED VERBAL DESCRIPTIONS OR NARRATIVE ACCOUNTS OF SEXUAL EXCITEMENT OR SEXUAL CONTENT AND THAT IS HARMFUL TO MINORS. UNFORTUNATELY THESE BOOKS CLEARLY DEFINE THAT EXACT LAW. SEXUAL CONTENT THAT IS HARMFUL TO MINORS. I CANNOT LOOK AROUND THAT. AGREE, DISAGREE, I HAVE OPINIONS. IT IS BASED UPON LAW AND MY RESPONSE AND MY JOB TO FOLLOW THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA. THAT IS WHAT I HAVE TO FOLLOW. THANK YOU. Karen Perez: MEMBER GRAY. Lynn Gray: I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE I WANTED TO START. I WANTED TO GIVE THE OVERVIEW FIRST. IT STARTS WITH A

092MEDIA SPECIALIST. YOU KNOW WE HAVE BOOKS AND PAGES AND PAGES ABOUT THE PROCESS, ETC. WHEN YOU GO THROUGH AND MOST OF YOU WILL NOT HAVE ACCESS UNLESS YOU WENT TO THE ONLINE, BUT WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THE STEPS, THIS PROCESS IS GOING THROUGH WITH THE MEDIA SPECIALIST BEGINNING AND THEN YOU CONSIDER THIS ACTUAL COMMITTEE VETTING THESE BOOKS. YOU GO INTO DETAILS SUCH AS -- CONSIDER MATERIALS OF THE STATE ACADEMIC STANDARDS. THE BEST STANDARDS. THOSE ARE STANDARDS THAT ARE SET BY THE STATE. THESE BOOKS HAVE PASSED THE FILTERS OF -- OF BEST RECOMMENDED TEXT, CHILDREN'S CORE COLLECTION, ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL CORE COLLECTIONS. THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH THE PORN COLLECTIONS. IT SAYS "GRAPHIC NOVELS" CORE COLLECTION. HAS GONE THROUGH NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK. I HAVE -- AND SORRY YOU DON'T HAVE THIS IN FRONT OF YOU,

093I HAVE A LITTLE OF WHAT THESE BOOKS GO THROUGH. AND THE WEEDING, FILTERING -- THEY SAY "WEEDING" I CALL IT "FILTERING." LACK OF -- AT A MINIMUM LACK OF ALIGNMENT TO STATE ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND RELEVANCY TO THE CURRICULUM. THESE BROOKS ALIGNED TO THE STATE STANDARD. WHAT WHAT WHERE WE SAYING IF WE ARE SAYING WE ARE FOLLOWING STATE STANDARDS, BUT, NO, THOSE STATE STATUTES WE ARE NOT FOLLOWING. WE EITHER FOLLOWING THEM OR NOT FOLLOWING THEM AND WE CAN PICK AND CHOOSE, BUT WHAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU ARE ACTUAL STATE STATUTES. AND THESE -- AND I AM PUTTING A LOT ON THE MEDIA SPECIALIST. THE MEDIA SPECIALIST FORM A COMMITTEE OF OTHER SPECIALISTS. WHEN IT GETS KNOCKED DOWN ON THE FIRST ROUND AND GOES FOR AN OBJECTION TO THE SECOND ROUND, NOW WE ARE TALKING THE ASSISTANT

094SUPERINTENDENT. WE ARE TALKING HIGH LEVEL RESIDENCY. TRACY BERGMAN, THAT IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP ON THE LITERACY DEPARTMENT. WE ARE TALKING OF HIGH-LEVEL FOLKS WHO SPENT THEIR WHOLE LIFE FILTERING AND LOOKING AT BOOKS. WHAT DO WE QUESTION. AND I AM NOT THE EXPERT. I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE EXPERTS ON TRAUMA. AND EXPERTS ON LBGTQ EXPERTS ON VAR SUBJECTS. AND I AM FOLLOWING WHAT I FEEL IS A VERY SECURE PROCESS AND PROCEDURE. PLANNED GIBSON, I LOOK TO YOU A LOT BECAUSE WHAT YOU SEE IN QUESTION IS FLORIDA STATUTE OUTEDS, ARE WE FOLLOWING, ARE WE GOING AGAINST THE LAW? WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH THAT MEANS TIMES WITH MASKS AND OTHER HUGE ELEMENTS OF -- OF GOVERNMENTAL INVOLVEMENT. SO MR. GIBSON, GIVE US A STATEMENT. ARE WE FOLLOWING THOSE STATUTES? OR ARE WE NOT? IF WE -- WITH

095WE HAVE A HICCUP ON THAT, THEN THAT DEFINITELY DEMANDS EXPLANATION. IN PROCESS -- EXCUSE ME, THIS PROCESS WAS SET UP PURSUANT TO THE STATUTE REQUIRED. THIS IS ULTIMATELY YOUR DECISION AT THIS POINT, BUT MY OPINION THAT THE DISTRICT HAS FOLLOWED THE LAW THROUGH THIS PROCESS. NOW WE ARE AT THE PART -- AT THE PART WHERE THIS IS YOUR DECISION NOW. Lynn Gray: OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU, MEMBER GRAY. MEMBER COMBS. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU, CHAIRWOMAN PEREZ. I HAD A VERY SIMILAR QUESTION TO MEMBER GRAY. AND IT COULD BE FOR MR. PORTER OR MR. GIBSON. IF WE DECIDE TO KEEP THE BOOKS IN LIBRARY, DOES THAT MEAN WE ARE BREAKING THE LAW OR BREAKING THE STATUTE? I ASKED YOU THAT SEVERAL TIMES THIS

096WEEK? Jim Porter: NO. THE PROCESS IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT HERE. YOU ESTABLISHED A PROCESS THAT WAS DICTATEDED TO US BY THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. IT HAS BEEN FOLLOWED WITH FIDELITY. IF YOU MAKE A FINDING -- HANDS IT IS WHAT MR. GIBSON JUST SAID. YOU NEED TO MAKE A FINDING AND THE NUB OF THIS IF THE BOOKS ARE AGE-APPROPRIATE. ONCE YOU GET PAST HURDLE OF PERSON. IF IT IS PORNOGRAPHY, IT WILL HAVE TO BE REMOVED. WE ARE NOT AWARE OF PORNOGRAPHY IN THE COLLECTION. CERTAIN WORDS, "HARMFUL TO MINORS" IS SPECIFICALLY DEFINED. "AGE-APPROPRIATENESS." YOU NEED TO USE YOUR OWN JUDGE WITH THAT. WHATEVER DECISION UPHOLD THE LOWER FINDING OR DECIDE TO REMOVE THE BOOKS, AS LONG AS YOU ARE FOLLOWING THE PROCESS, AND WE HAVE BEEN VERY CAREFUL BOTH AT THE SUPERINTENDENT'S SIDE OF THE HOUSE

097AND THIS SIDE THAT YOU ARE FOLLOWING THE PROCESS. AND THEN OFF THIS DECISION-MAKING POWER. AT THE ENDS OF THE DAY, IF YOU FIND -- BOOK IS NOT AGE-APPROPRIATE, YOU SHOULD REMOVE IT. IF YOU FIND IT IS, YOU SHOULD KEEP IT, BUT FOLLOWING THE LAW AS LONG AS YOU FOLLOW THE PROCESS. Nadia Combs: YOU ARE STATING THAT IT IS NOT CONSIDERED PORNOGRAPHY BY LAW? Jim Porter: THAT IS -- I WANTS TO BE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THAT. BECAUSE NO, SIR A YES OR NO ANSWER IN THE SENSE THAT OBSCENE IS DEFINE INSPECTED FLORIDA STATUTES. I AM GOING TO READ WHAT THAT MEANS BECAUSE IT FOLLOWS THE MILLER TEST THAT MISS HUNT REFERRED TO, TUTS SUPREME COURT CASE THAT TALKED ABOUT PORNOGRAPHY. THREE ELEMENTS. ALL THREE MUST BE PRESENT IN ORDER FOR SOMETHING TO BE PORNOGRAPHY. I WILL

098READ THEM INTO THE RECORD BECAUSE CRITICAL TOLL THIS. AND FOR -- AGAIN, IF THE SUPERINTENDENT DISCOVERED THAT A BOOK MET THIS DEFINITION, WE BY LAW HAVE TO TAKE THE BOOKS OUT. THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED. LET ME READ THE DEFINITION OF "OBSCENE" UNDER FLORIDA STATUTE, 847.001, SUBSECTIONS 12. OBSCENE MEANS A STATUS OF MATERIAL WHICH A, THE AVERAGE PERSON APPLYING TEMPORARY COMMUNITY STANDARDS APPEARS TO THE PURIENT. AND DEFINES SEXUAL CONTENT AS DEFINED HEREIN. OR C, TAKEN AS A WHOLE LACKS SCIENTIFIC VALUE. IF YOU FOUND THAT ALL THREE WERE MET FOR THIS PARTICULAR BOOK, WOULD YOU HAVE TO REMOVE IT. ONE OR TWO OF THOSE ARE MISSING, YOU GO ON TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF ANALYSIS. BUT THAT IS THE DEFINITION OF OPTION OBSCENE" UNDER FLORIDA STATUTE. Nadia Combs: THANK YOU. AND I CAN SEE IT IS VERY

099IMPORTANT THAT OUR DISTRICT, UNLIKE OTHER DISTRICTS, WE DO HAVE A PROCESS. IF YOU LOOK AT THE NEWS, FLORIDA HAS BANNED MORE BOOKS THAN ANY OTHER STATE IN THE COUNTRY. AND THAT IS WHY YOU SEE GOVERNOR DeSANTIS REACTING TO THIS. BECAUSE SO MANY BROOKS BANNED, AND SO MANY VERY SOURCES ARE GOING TO FWHOOKS SCHOOLS. ESCAMBIA COUNTY THAT TOOK OUT 1200 BOOKS. DIFFERENT COUNTIES TAKING OUT HUNDREDS BOOKS AND WE HAVE A PROCESS HERE. AS WE LOOK THROUGH THE PROCESS AND READ THROUGH THE PROCESS AND I READ A BOOK AND I HAD A DOLLAR THEIR JUST GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL. AND I THOUGHT IS THIS AGE APPROPRIATE? I THOUGHT IS THIS AGE APPROPRIATE LOOKING AT BLANKETS. WHEN I LOOKED THROUGH THE DIFFERENT COMMITTEES THAT WENT THROUGH, AND I REALLY WENT THROUGH AND TOOK A LOT OF TIMES READING

100THE COMMENTS. IT WAS UNANIMOUS AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL, IT WAS 7-0. AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, 89-0. LET ME FEEL LIKE I HAVE A LOT KNOWLEDGE. A MASTER'S DEGREE. A LIFE-LONG EDUCATOR .WHO IS ON THAT COMMITTEE. SUPERVISOR. ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION, LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST, PSYCHOLOGY DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES, COORDINATOR FOR SCHOOL COUNSELING, PARENT AND HILLSBOROUGH PTA DEGREE IG KNEE, A PARENT. THOSE ARE MULTIPLE PEOPLE. YOU ARE TALKING OF NINE PEOPLE WITH HUNDREDS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE NOT JUST FOR ACADEMICS BUT ALSO FOR BEHAVIOR, HIS OR HER REALLY UNDERSTAND PEOPLE HAVE SPENT -- PROBABLY LOOKING AT THOSE NINE PEOPLE HUNDREDS OF YEARS WORKING WITH CHILDREN WHO SAM I TO SAY THAT ALL THOSE OPINIONS DON'T MATTER. I LOOK AT THAT THE AND I LOOK AT THE COMMENTS AND I ALSO LOOK LEGALLY WE ARE NOT BREAKING THE LAW. WHO

101AM I TO TAKE BOOK WITHOUT THAT. SO I WILL DEFINITELY -- I WILL -- I WILL SUPPORT WHAT -- WHAT WAS DECIDED ON BOTH LEVELS, THE SCHOOL LEVEL AND THE DISTRICT LEVEL. THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU, MEMBER COMBS. MEMBER VAUGHN. Jessica Vaughn: THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I APPRECIATE ALL THIS CONVERSATION. I APPRECIATE ALL THE SPEAKER WHO CAME TO SPEAK TODAY. I FEEL LIKE EVERYBODY WAS VERY FOCUSED AND TRIED HARD TO MAKE VALUABLE POINTS NDZ I APPRECIATE THE CIVILITY OF THE MEETINGS TODAY. I APPRECIATE ALSO THE QUESTION AROUND LEGALITY, BECAUSE I THINK ALL OF US UP HERE WANT TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. AND I ALSO APPRECIATE THE POINT THAT YOU SAY THAT THE -- THAT THE MILLER IS APPLICABLE HERE. THREE PRONGS. WE LOOKED AT THE FOUR PRONGS, THE THREE

102PRONGS ALSO ARE IMPORTANT OF WHETHER OR NOT IT MAKES IT OBSCENE. I AM ONLY GOING TO TALK OF "BLANKETS." WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER AGENDA ITEM TO TALK ABOUT "IDENTICAL." I, ONE, AGREE WITH MY PREVIOUS BOARD MEMBERS THAT OUT OF 16 PEOPLE WHO READ THE BOOK WHO ARE VALUABLE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, WHETHER THEY ARE IN THE SCHOOL, STUDENTS OF THE SCHOOL, PARENTS NOTICE SCHOOL, AND IF YOU LOOK AT -- I DON'T KNOW IF BE THIS IS ONLINE, YOU LOOK AT THE THUFR ROW DISCUSSION THEY HAVE, FIRST OF ALL, PLANT'S DISCUSSION WAS PHENOMENAL. THE AMOUNT OF DETAIL YOU INCLUDED IN EVERY PIECE OF THE DISCUSSION PIECE ABOUT THE APPROPRIATENESS, THE AGE LEVEL, THE VALUE IN THIS BOOK, IT WAS REALLY, REALLY WELL THOUGHT-OUT. AND I APPRECIATE HAVING ALL THIS INFORMATION. I ALSO LOOKED ONLINE. I LOOKED

103EVERYWHERE THAT I COULD TO LOOK AT RECOMMENDED READING LEVELS AND AGES FOR THIS BOOK AND I DO BELIEVE THIS IS AGE APPROPRIATE. I BELIEVE THIS HAS LITERARY AND ARTISTIC VALUE. A COMING-OF-AGE STORY THAT RESONATES. IT TOOK ABOUT A STRUGGLE. A LOT OF PERSONAL STRUGGLES. IT TALKS OF CONFLICTS WITH -- GROWING UP WITH AN EXTREMELY RELIGIOUS FAMILY, BUT THE MORALE OF THE STORY TO FIND A WAY AROUND THAT, FIND HOPE AND HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND WITH THE COMMUNITY AND I THINK IT IS A VALUABLE BOOK I WOULD LIKE TO SAY WE ARE HAVING CONVERSATIONS AROUND THESE BOOKS. I HAVE MISS PEPE PULL HOW OFTEN THESE BOOKS HAVE BEEN CHECKED OUT. THIS BOOK IN OUR SCHOOL SINCE 2018 AND THIS BOOK HAS BEEN PICKED UP LESS THAN TWO TIMES PER YEAR FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.

104I THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT TO SEE, ONE, ARE OUR STUDENTS ACTUALLY IN OUR LIBRARIES READING THESE BOOKS. HOW MANY KIDS ARE EXPOSED TO THAT. I THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING. I WILL GIVE THE STATISTICS AROUND THE OTHER BOOK. I CHECKED OTHER COUNTIES TO SEE IF OTHER COUNTIES, OTHER SCHOOL COUNTIES HAVE THIS BOOK IF THEY OFFER THIS BOOK AND PULLED IN BOOK. AND I COULD NOT FIND ANYWHERE THAT THIS BOOK HAS BEEN REMOVED. I SAW IT IN OTHER COUNTIES ONLINE AND ON SHELVES AND SCHOOL LIBRARIES WITH OUR SURROUNDING COUNTIES. I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY EVIDENCE PER STATUTE THIS IS HARMING OUR STUDENTS OR IF THERE IS ANYTHING WE NEED TO DO TO REMOVE THESE BOOKS. I BELIEVE IN TRUSTING OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR COMMITTEE AND UPHOLD WHAT THEY FUNDS. IF THEY COME BACK AND FOUND THEY THOUGHT WE

105SHOULD REMOVE THIS BOOK, I WOULD HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION ABOUT THIS. BUT USING ALL OF THE INFORMATION FROM ACTUAL PEOPLE WHO READ THE BOOK, THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS, THEIR DISCUSSIONS, THE FEEDBACK FROM BOTH OF OUR LAWYERS AND INTERPRETING THE STATUTE, READING THE BOOK MYSELF, DOING THE DATA RESEARCH AROUND HOW OFTEN IT IS IT IS USE HIGH-RISED AND ALL THAT, I BELIEVE THIS BOOK SHOULD VERY MAIN IN OUR LIBRARY AND WE SHOULD UPHOLD THE COMMITTEE'S DECISION. THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU, MEMBER VAUGHN. MEMBER RENDON. Patti Rendon: YES, THANK YOU. I WANT TO REITERATE THE FACT -- I WANT TO MAKE IT VERY CLEAR I DID READS IN COMPLETE BOTH BOOKS. THEY WERE DEFINITELY READ. DID TAKE ME A LITTLE BIT OF TIME READ BOTH OF THEM ACTUALLY. BUT WHEN I LOOK AT STATUTE 1006.20 AS I READ

106BEFORE, AND IT IDENTIFIES WHEREIN WHICH A BOOK SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE LIBRARY. NOT BANNED. LET'S ME MAKE IT CLEAR. WE ARE NOT BANNING BOOKS. WE ARE REMOVING IT FROM A SCHOOL SETTING. I UNDERSTAND THE CONTENT AND I UNDERSTAND ENVIRONMENTALLY, BUT NO BANNING OF A BOOK. WE ARE NOT REMOVING IT FROM LIBRARIES. JUST A SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT. IT IS IF -- IF IT IS PORNOGRAPHIC OR PROHIBITED UNDER 847.012 OR DEPICTS OR DESCRIBES SEXUAL CONTENT AS DESIGNED IN 8.47001. I WANTS TO LOOK AT 8.74001 AND THE DEFINITION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY MEANS, ANY IMAGE DEPICTING A MINOR ENGAGED IN SEXUAL CONDUCT OR B, ANY IMAGE THAT HAS BEEN CREATED, ATTED, ADAPTED OR MODIFIED BY A ELECTRONIC, MECHANICAL AND OTHER MEANS TO PORTRAY UNDENIABLE MINOR ENGAGED IN SEXUAL CONDUCT. BASED ON THESE STATUTES, I DO BELIEVE THESE BOOKS DO

107DEPICT BOTH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY, AS WELL AS INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL CONTACT. THANK YOU. Jim Porter: BOARD MEMBERS, THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR MADE BY MEMBER GRAY IS TO UPHOLD THE LOWER TRIBUNALS AND KEEP THE BOOK "BLANKETS" ON THE SHELVES IN SCHOOL. Karen Perez: SO -- OKAY. OKAY. SO PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. YES TO KEEP IT, NO TO REMOVE IT. AND THE VOTE PASSES TO MAINTAIN THE BOOK IN OUR LIBRARIES. [SCATTERS APPLAUSE] . Karen Perez: 1.70 2. TO DISCUSS THE APPEAL OF THE DISTRICTS LEVEL DECISION OF REGARDING THE RECONSIDERATION OF THE CHALLENGED MATERIAL OF "IDENTICAL" BY ELLEN HOPKINS AT NEWSOM HIGH SCHOOL MEDIA CENTER. I WILL BE BRIEFER IN THIS. THE BOOK IDENTICAL BY ELLEN HOPKINS AT NEWSOM HIGH SCHOOL WENT THROUGH THE EXACT SAME PROCESS. WE RECEIVED AN OBJECTION OCTOBER 2, 2023. THE EDUCATION MEDIA

108MATERIALS COMMITTEE MET ON NOVEMBER 6, 2023. THEY WERE PROVIDED THE EXACT SAME INFORMATION ON THAT BOOK. THE BOOK, PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS, THE LIBRARY MEDIA MANUAL, THE CHECKLIST FOR IMMEDIATE YEA MATERIALS AND THE CPS OBJECTION FORM AFTER DISCUSSION, THEY VOTED TO RETAIN THE MATERIALS IN THE MEDIA CENTER AND A FINAL ISSUE WAS DECIDED AND PROVIDED. WE RECEIVED AN APPEAL FROM THAT ON DECEMBER 6 OF 2023. THE DISTRICTS COMMITTEE MET ON JANUARY 24, 2024. AGAIN, THEY HAD EVERYTHING THE SCHOOL HAD, PLUS THE MINUTES OF THE NEWSOM COMMITTEE AND THE FINAL DECISION OF THE NEWS MARKSM COMMITTEE. AFTER IS DISCUSSION, VOTED 7-1 TO PERFORM THE NEWSOM DECISION. THEY ISSUED -- THEY ISSUED A FINAL DECISION AND WE RECEIVED AN APPEAL, WHICH BRINGS US TO HERE. YOUR RECORD IS WHAT THE SCHOOL SAW, WHAT THE DISTRICTS SAW, AND THEN THE

109DISTRICTS'S COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES AND THEIR FINAL DECISION. Jim Porter: THANK YOU, MR. GIBSON. ONCE AGAIN, BOARD MEMBERS, A MOTION TO BEGIN DISCUSSION TO UPHOLD, DENY OR TO REMANDS. Karen Perez: I NEED A MOTION TO EITHER APPROVE, OVERTURN OR REMANDS. MEMBER GRAY? Lynn Gray: I MAKE A MOTION TO UPHOLD. Karen Perez: I NEED A SECOND. BY MEMBER WASHINGTON. ANY DISCUSSION? MEMBER RENDON. Patti Rendon: I HAVE A QUESTION. IF WE UPHOLD THE DECISION, AND THE PETITIONER IS NOT HAPPY ABOUT OUR DECISION, WHAT IS THE APPEALS PROCESS? Jim Porter: A SPECIAL MAGISTRATE APPOINTED BY THE STATE AND PUT INTO LAW. YOU HAVE THE FINAL DECISION BUT THAT IS THE APPEAL, TO A SPECIAL MAGISTRATE. Patti Rendon: THANK YOU. Karen Perez: THANK YOU, MEMBER RENDON. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? SEEING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION. PLEASE VOTE WHEN YOUR LIGHTS APPEAR. YES

110TO MAINTAIN THE BOOK IDENTICAL IN THE LIBRARIES AND INTO TO REMOVE IT. AND IT PASSES BY A 5-2. MEMBER RENDON AND MEMBER HAHN DISSENTING TO MAINTAIN THE BOOK "IDENTICAL" IN OUR LIBRARIES. [SCATTERED APPLAUSE] AND SEEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED.